Meifu's Gate  Final Graduation ::Omake::
by VraieEsprit
Summary: With only one week left of their Senior Year, what will the future hold for the graduating class of Genryuusai's Academy? Juushirou's path is still uncertain, meanwhile his friends are making important choices - will they follow their Clan or their heart?
1. Chapter 1

**Meifu's Gate: Final Graduation**

_Saigo no toki made mamoru kara..._**  
><strong>  
>This is the end of Meifu's Gate. The absolute, proper end of the Meifu story circuit and the story of Juu and Shun at Genryuusai's Academy.<p>

Fourth Maki ended in the autumn/winter of the boy's final year. Instead of trying to write off their graduation in one quick epilogue chapter, I figured such a special event, which would determine the paths of all of the characters, ought to have a short "omake" of its own. Please note that this handful of chapters are an optional read - they chart the last week before Team Stupid graduate and the fuss and bustle over settling their futures - in particular, Juushirou's own destiny beyond the Academy walls. There are no random appearances by villains bent on mischief and mayhem, for which I apologise in advance. There are no life or death battles to contend with, and Keitarou and Eiraki will not appear in this omake. No complaints please.

Team Stupid have been loyally and warmly supported by so many epic reading peoples over the past two and a half years. Whilst it's natural that Juu and Shun should have people behind them, I've been really touched and honoured by the support offered to the OCs throughout the course of Meifu's Gate -in particular Ryuu, who continues to rule supreme at the top of the character poll. It's impossible for me to relate here individually all of the people or comments that have got Meifu to this point, because it would take up a chapter in itself and then FFnet would be shouting at me for filling a chapter space with a long author's note.

So instead, please allow me to pass on the following thoughts and feelings:

_To the people who've been with me since the start, arigatou._

_To the people who worried for and spoke up for characters in particular situations, arigatou_

_To the people who poked my grammar twitches, encouraged me to fix bad writing habits and hopefully improve my way of writing for the future, arigatou._

_To the people who voted in the Meifu poll and got actively involved in discussing elements of the story and the characters, arigatou._

_To the people who offered support via reviews during some of the harder RL stuffs over the last couple of years, and who understood when updates were late or review responses didn't happen, arigatou._

_To the people who reviewed Meifu week after week, even when I was mean enough to leave horrible cliffhangers, arigatou._

_For loving Juu and Shun enough to come with me on this very selfish little fan-journey of mine, arigatou._

_For being Meifu people, arigatou._

And now, for the final time, Team Stupid and the ongoing cast of Meifu present...their final epilogue.

* * *

><p><strong>Meifu's Gate: Graduation. <strong>

冥府門・卒業**  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>~One~<strong>

So, another year was coming to a close.

The old man rested his wizened hands against the seamed wood of the sill, gazing pensively down at the blossom scattered grounds below his window. In a few short weeks, the cycle would begin again, as new students would pour through the Academy's doors and more and more individuals from all levels of Seireitei's social hierarchy would begin to learn the ways of the shinigami. When the new term began, he knew that his focus would be with those young ones first and foremost – but for the time being, his mind was elsewhere.

In one week, his Senior Class would graduate and leave the Academy behind forever.

Genryuusai had always been protective of his students, and his wide network of contacts was infamous across all of Soul Society, for there was hardly a family of spiritual significance who had not had contact with him at some point in their lives. This year, though, he felt a particular twist of regret and anticipation as he thought about his departing students.

Of all that he had trained since the Academy opened its doors, these twelve had burned themselves brightly into his memories.

Two of them in particular.

His moustache twitched ruefully as he remembered the summons he had received just that morning from the Council of Elders to attend their next meeting. It would be for him to persuade them then that his suggestion was the right one. He had done all he could to prepare for it – but in Seireitei, it was always the Council who would have the final say.

That was the world he had fought to help create, and he would abide by the decisions of the Elders, whatever that decision might be.

"You seem very pensive this morning, Genryuusai-sama."

The door of the office slid back to reveal the school's Kidou instructor, Kazoe Ginji, a sheaf of papers in his hands. "I knocked three times but you didn't call me in – I trust it's all right for me to disturb you now? You did say you wanted these by the end of the afternoon."

"Ah, I'm sorry. I suppose I was lost in thought," Genryuusai offered his subordinate a rueful smile. "Does it seem foolish to you, Ginji, if I say I feel like a father sending unruly children off into the wilderness to fend for themselves? The Seniors are all a capable bunch, and I've watched other classes graduate year on year without feeling quite like this about them – but there's something about this particular group of students that makes me think it will be a while before we see their like again."

"In my case, I'll happily suffer several years together before I experience another student as infuriating to teach as Kyouraku Shunsui," Kazoe's eyes twinkled dryly behind his glasses, and he strode across the room, dropping the pile of papers down on the wooden desk. "Look at that. I don't know whether I should be pleased or annoyed that he turned in a paper like that for his final theory examination."

"Let me see," Genryuusai turned to the desk, scooping up the top paper and scanning his gaze over the first few lines of his student's work. As he reached the end of the first paragraph he chuckled, raising his gaze to meet his companion's in amusement.

"Shunsui is a law unto himself," he said sagely. "He'll ramble along at his own pace and to all intents and purposes you'll think he hasn't taken in a word of what you've said. Then he sits down to write a paper on it and you realise not only has he listened to everything, he's processed it and broken it down to a point far beyond what you were saying."

"I don't believe I taught him a damn thing over the last five years," Kazoe admitted, running his fingers through his hair. "You know, they had a two hour revision class on all of these theories two days before the final exam, and I caught the idiot playing some card game with Souryou between the desks. If they'd been juniors I'd have thrown them both out to stand in the hall – yet here Kyouraku is, with an answer that's word perfect and, dammit, I can't even knock him down for presentation."

"How did Souryou fare?" Genryuusai sifted through the papers pensively, and Kazoe sighed.

"As you might expect, he had a few gaps, but he's another one who's capable of flying by the seat of his _hakama_ where necessary," he replied wearily. "Put together, they're a hopeless combination. You might approve of the way Senior Class has knitted together since Suzuno's death, but there are times I wish the two factions hadn't become quite so friendly with one another."

"Alliances are important in all stages of life," Genryuusai pointed out, "and for all his flaws, you can't say that Shunsui is prone to holding onto grudges. No, Ginji, I'd rather it was this way. Providing the students all managed a passing grade in Kidou, I'm content to know that they've improved in life skills along the way as well. I didn't know at the start of the year whether or not they'd overcome that boundary, but whilst it's obvious that Akira still would rather not acknowledge Juushirou as Anideshi, he's capable of dealing with that emotion in a more adult way than he may have done at the start. There have been some important, if heavy lessons learned by all of them this year - and in some ways, their having learned them gives me more comfort than any written exam response."

"I suppose so," Kazoe acknowledged. "The final Kidou papers were all passable, and I've worked out a rough grading for them. You might want to look over them yourself, being that they're such final grades – but I think you can safely say all twelve students have passed the Kidou element of their assessment."

"Enishi too?" Genryuusai glanced up, and Kazoe nodded his head.

"Surprisingly, he did quite a good paper, for him," he said, clear wonderment on his sharp features. "It's nothing like what that infuriating Kyouraku ape turned in, of course, and he did once use the wrong final kanji for _Shakkahou_, but it's a very solid submission for a young man who barely knows one end of a spell from the other."

"I think we can probably thank Ukitake for that," Genryuusai pulled Enishi's paper from the pile, glancing over it and then nodding. "I caught the two of them in the library around curfew a few nights before the exam, and I think Juushirou was drilling some last minute Kidou theory into Enishi's head."

"Well, whatever works. He's passed, so he'll graduate," Kazoe shrugged. "Like I said, no failures to report here. I trust that the other units have been as easily cleared? We're not holding anyone back a year, are we?"

"No, I don't believe so," Genryuusai set the papers aside. "I never did have any concern about these students passing, though. They are an exceptional group in many ways, and even if it makes for mischief at times, I'm proud of the way they've pulled together since the events of last autumn. If they maintain those bonds into their squad lives, Seireitei will benefit greatly from having them among the ranks."

"Genryuusai-sama, about Ukitake…"

Kazoe trailed off questioningly, and the old man sighed, nodding his head.

"I trust that his Kidou paper was as expected?"

"It was," Kazoe nodded, rifling through the documents and producing one from the pile. "Here it is. His answers were differently placed than Kyouraku's, but his score was overall the same. Have you heard anything more from the Council about that? I know you asked Kinnya-sama for help when he was here, but…"

"I have been called to Inner Seireitei to explain my case," Genryuusai said softly, taking the paper and reading over the neat columns of kanji with a thoughtful expression in his dark eyes. "Kinnya's backing is helpful – no, probably invaluable – but I cannot base my whole argument on his word alone. That boy's future will be made or broken in that meeting, Ginji. Mark my words on that."

"I think that's over-melodramatic," Kazoe chided, shaking his head. "Ukitake's strong and resourceful and a couple of squad Captains have already expressed interest in recruiting him. If your plans came to nothing, well, there would be options. Kinnya-sama's backing means that there's nothing blocking his way to the Gotei, and…"

"As capable as he would be at working his way up through a division, that boy is meant for more important things than rank and file recruiting to an existing Clan squad," Genryuusai cut across him. "I knew it when I first met him, and I know it now. For better or worse, from the very start that boy has been the catalyst and the figurehead for the Districts in bringing them to the Academy and into the Gotei world. I doubt there are many others in lower Seireitei with his spiritual ability. If I cannot convince the Council to accept him, Ginji, I will not convince them to accept anyone. If a boy who has such ability and intelligence as well as the backing of a Clan grandparent is not suitable, I dread to think who would be."

"If they agree based solely on Kinnya-sama's say-so, though, you won't have achieved what you set out to achieve, will you?" Kazoe asked astutely, and Genryuusai shook his head.

"That's why I intend to use it as a bargaining chip, but nothing more," he confessed. "Dealing with the Council is never easy when it relates to someone from the Districts…but we'll see. Until I've spoken to them, nothing is to be said to Juushirou himself about his future squad placement."

"Are you sure that's wise?" Kazoe looked doubtful. "Once results are posted on the main board, squad acceptances are bound to come in just as quickly. Several of the Seniors have informal offers pending and it will be a matter of procedure for those to be confirmed following the exam grades. If Ukitake has nothing put up…"

"I know, but it can't be helped," Genryuusai rubbed his long beard absently. "Without the word of the Council, I can tell him nothing at all. I can overrule some things, Kazoe, and the Gotei is of my devising, therefore I have a considerable amount of influence where it's concerned. In something like this, though, Council backing is necessary. Without it, the gesture is worthless. Ukitake deserves better than that – as your anxiety about him indicates very well."

"I don't like having favourites among my students," Kazoe admitted, "but I do believe in people with ability having a chance to shine."

"I agree," Genryuusai nodded. "This Academy has benefited him, but his being here has also benefited my argument that the Districts can provide shinigami candidates to rival Clan ones. With the ever increasing level of Hollows, the more students we take in the better for everyone."

He set Juushirou's test paper down with the others, offering his companion a smile.

"I will read and ratify your gradings this evening, so that the students will be put out of their misery tomorrow," he decided. "There is just one week left, Ginji. Let us hope it passes peacefully."

"We can hope," Kazoe said grimly, "but given the students in question, I suspect it will be anything but quiet."

* * *

><p>"There's a rumour buzzing about that results are being posted tomorrow."<p>

Shiba Sora dropped down in the middle of the Senior common room, settling herself more comfortably on the tatami mat floor and gazing around at her companions expectantly. "Kazoe was with Sensei in his office and I'm sure he had our test papers. That means Genryuusai-sensei's probably ratifying them this evening – and we'll know our fate tomorrow."

"Well, considering there's only a week left until graduation, I'd hope they'd bother to let us know how we did sooner or later," Shihouin Kai put in lazily from where he was lounging up against the window. "I know that grades don't necessarily matter for all of us beyond that, but I'd like to know where I finished. Neesama will be ready with the whip if I dropped lower than half-way in the final rankings, so I want to know whether I can greet her with ease when it comes to the ceremony, or whether I'll be hiding from her wrath instead."

"Graduating at any rank will do me," Houjou Enishi put in frankly from his corner of the room, sitting back to observe the shougi board in front of him with careful consideration before putting broad fingers to a piece, shunting it across the squares. "If I'm twelfth, I'll weep for joy. Any higher than that and I'll pass out with shock. So long as I scraped what I need, I'm happy. Numbers don't matter to me at all."

"Sensei'd do best not to rank you any higher than twelfth, then," his opponent, Kyouraku Shunsui reflected, amusement in his brown eyes. "If you fainted, you might squash a poor, unsuspecting first year and that would be a terrible way to start your new Gotei life."

"You're not worried about grading at all, then, Shunsui?" Sora eyed her classmate quizzically. "I would've thought there's the most pressure on you to do well, given that you'll be a squad Captain when all of this is over. It won't look too good if you drop marks again when it comes to the final ranking – not if you're getting the _haori_."

"Niisama expects me to pass, and since I've been to the bother of coming to class, I figure it would be nice if I did," Shunsui said casually, shrugging his shoulders. "Rank doesn't bother me. I let other people worry about that…life's too short."

He reached across lazily to nudge a shougi piece forward, offering Enishi a benign smile, and Enishi groaned, rubbing his temples.

"You could go easy on me," he protested good-naturedly. "You know that my brain's worn out from all that study, and besides, theoretical things really aren't my strength."

"You were the one who asked to play me," Shunsui pointed out. "Don't regret it once the game's begun, Enishi – you wanted me to take you seriously, and so I am."

"If you are, it's the first time," the room's other occupant set down his book, offering his companions an amused smile. "Shunsui, are you really risking breaking your losing streak? I thought you were trying to beat your last year's record in the most consecutive shougi defeats – have you given up on it?"

"Nope, not at all," Shunsui said cheerfully, whilst Enishi stared gloomily down at his pieces, trying to work out how to unravel himself from his mess. "Just, I already reached my target. Yesterday, Ryuu beat me three times in a row, which took me to a hundred and sixteen this year. Last year was a hundred and fourteen, so I'm already over by two."

"I wish I'd known that before I sat down to play," Enishi said good-humouredly, shaking his head. "It's no good, Kyouraku. I'm stumped. Your losing streak is broken – I'm out."

"Fair enough," Shunsui returned the grin with one of his own. "What about you, Juu? Are you game to play me at full strength once before we go out into the wilderness, or are you scared now you've seen me demolish Enishi's defences?"

"There's a challenge I can't walk away from," Juushirou's eyes twinkled, and he nodded, getting to his feet and coming to kneel on the floor opposite his friend. "If you promise to play properly this time, I'll play. I want to see whether I can beat you when you're not deliberately doing the opposite of what makes sense."

"All right, but like I said to Enishi, don't regret it once we've begun," Shunsui rolled up his sleeves, clearing the board and beginning to set it up for a fresh game. "I feel good about my skill tonight - the stars must be shining my way."

"Why the sudden desire to take it seriously, Kyouraku?" Kai asked quizzically. "You've made your reputation on the opposite - why change it when we've only a week left to go?"

"For that reason, maybe?" Shunsui looked pensive. "It's struck me how little time we have left to be like this. I thought it might be nice...just for once...to see whether I can beat you people or not. We won't have so much time to get together and hang out doing meaningless things like this when we graduate, and it's a sad thought."

"You'll find time to do nothing, I'm sure," Juushirou said astutely, reaching across to help set up the board. "You'll have a Vice Captain to send on your errands and all of that, won't you? I can't imagine you'll let yourself be swamped with paperwork, and I won't believe you'll suddenly find a hidden desire for hard graft the moment you put on the black and white Gotei uniform."

"If it's inside of me, it's a very well hidden desire," Shunsui snorted appreciatively. "Maybe I should say other desires take precedence - perhaps that's it. All right, Juu. You start. I'll let you have that at least."

"It doesn't concern me either way," Juushirou shrugged, extending a pale finger to move a piece. "You're right, though. What comes after we graduate is still a lot of a mystery, but we won't all be together any more. That much is for certain - it makes it seem a little bit lonely, knowing we'll be split up between different squads and, doubtless, at different ranks."

He looked rueful.

"Not all of us are going to go straight from here to Captaincy."

"Not my choice!" Shunsui held up his hands in mock-surrender. "Eighth squad has been dormant since the squads began because of finding a suitable candidate, and you know that they picked on me, it wasn't that I asked for it. I just...I don't feel I can let Niisama down, now. Enough has happened to make me realise it's important for me to do as he wants me to and take on the responsibility. There isn't really anyone else, and this year has taught me that especially."

"Juushirou will be recruited, that's beyond all doubt," Sora said matter-of-factly. "I don't know for sure, of course, so this is off the record, but I've heard that Okaasama even wrote to Sensei to enquire about what was happening to you after Graduation was past."

"Kyouki-sama did?" Juushirou stared at her in surprise, and Sora nodded.

"Apparently," she agreed. "I'm not sure what came of it beyond that, but since it's become known that there's no legitimate reason for you not to be recruited..."

"In other words, since Ojiisama signed those papers and paid those expenses to the Gotei," Juushirou sighed. "I wish he hadn't. I know why he did, but I still wish..."

"In a Clan world, sometimes the only way you can make changes is to start by playing by their rules," Shunsui pointed out. "Kinnya-sama probably understands better than any of us what's required of a shinigami. I'm sure he wouldn't have done anything that would call into question your ability, Juu."

"I know, and I appreciate having his support," Juushirou admitted. "Over the winter break, my family and I spent a good amount of time visiting his manor and I've realised that as frightening as he was that day in the storm, he's really a very kind person who cared a lot about my mother. He's lonely, and my siblings somewhat adopted him as Grandfather as well, once they realised he was so far from the Kuchiki court by choice and didn't intend on demanding Clan manners from them. I'm also a way for him to remember Hahaue and keep that memory alive as much as anything, so if he wants to help me, it's not like I feel I can refuse without hurting his feelings. If it's training, I don't mind, but money..."

He sighed.

"I don't want to spend my entire career reliant on Clan funding," he concluded heavily. "Maybe this time it'll be all right, but I hope it won't come up again. I'd like to prove myself."

"I imagine you have, if Kyouki-sama is interested in you," Shunsui grinned. "I suppose we'll see how that pans out. You and Sora might be squad-mates."

"I hope not," Sora pulled a graphic face. "No offence to you, Juushirou, but I don't want to be in a Shiba squad, if I can help it - neither Mother's nor my brother's. I want to branch out a little. It's boring, just staying in the same patterns and with the same related people the whole time. I don't want that - I don't think I ever did. There's not really a lot of chance that I won't get seconded to one or the other - but I'm holding out a faint hope that there'll be another option."

"Aneue said that the Council have come to an accord about setting up squad bases within Inner Seireitei, though," Kai reflected. "Otherwise, it means that the Captains of Ninth through Twelfth are out of the action, and whilst those squads aren't Council squads, they still ought to be closer on hand so that they can react quickly when it's needed. I'm not sure what that means for me, yet, since Onmitsukidou isn't going to be like other squads, but if you're going into the Gotei, you'll probably find yourself spending an amount of time in the heart of Seireitei's power base. Don't worry, either of you. I'm sure that leaving here won't be a final farewell for any of us. We'll still meet often enough to annoy each other."

"Here's hoping that's true," Enishi sat back against the wall of the chamber with a heavy sigh. "Are Kuchiki and Hirata still at the bath-house? They've been long enough."

"I don't know about Hirata, but Kuchiki was going to the office after," Kai said thoughtfully. "He told me not to bother waiting up for him. I think he has a message to send via Sensei's messenger to District Six."

"Another progress report to his father?" Juushirou glanced up in surprise, and Kai shrugged.

"I don't get involved in Kuchiki business," he said evenly. "It's not a good place for a Shihouin to be."

"I thought you two were friends now?" Sora questioned, and Kai nodded.

"I think...we are," he said cautiously. "It's easier, though, to dissolve the rivalries in a place like this. Ryuu and I have more or less come to understand each other's point of view, but although Guren-sama asked my brother's help in solving Ribari-sama's murder, the relations between Kuchiki and Shihouin haven't really thawed beyond that. I don't know...maybe we're too different and they never fully will. Still, I don't mind. I made up my mind in the first year not to be dictated to by my Clan if I could do the dictating, and this is one of those times."

"Well said," Enishi agreed approvingly. "As for Kuchiki sending messages home, it's not surprising, is it? Seiren-sama was pretty sick, all things considered. It's natural that Kuchiki'd want to keep in close contact."

"I thought he was doing better since the winter?" Juushirou asked, and Kai shrugged.

"I thought so too, but it's not like we've discussed it much since he came back to school," he said matter-of-factly. "As it is, he delayed his return so much that he really had to scramble over a couple of study units and I don't know whether that immense brain of his managed to absorb everything in time for final exams. He's spent a lot of time surrounded by textbooks this term – so asking pleasantries about kinsmen who hate me didn't seem appropriate."

"I hope tomorrow's results bring good news, then," Shunsui reflected, shifting his piece deftly across the shougi board. "You're sure that they'll be posted then, Sora-chan?"

"Sure as I can be, when it's a rumour," Sora rested her chin in her hands.

"Then I guess that's as much assurance as anything," Shunsui grinned. "It'll probably seem like an anticlimax, when we see our names up there in black and white."

"They'll be there for the last time, which is sad," Juushirou mused, moving his own piece to counter Shunsui's sly attack. "Don't think you can take me off guard that easily – I am watching, you know!"

"Squad placings might be posted too," Kai reflected. "I think it'll be interesting to see what happens with that most of all!"

* * *

><p>It was almost midnight.<p>

Hirata pulled his robe more tightly around his thin body, pausing to stare up at the moon that glittered brightly above his head. It was a chill evening, with cloud dotted across the sky and although the trees were already beginning to show their early blossoms, there was a nip in the air that reminded the young Clansman that winter had not long since gone.

He chewed down on his lip pensively.

_Maybe in District Seven, winter never will go. Father and Mother have both dressed in mourning robes and the whole mood from home is sombre and uncertain since the news broke at the Council about Eiraki-chan's involvement in Ribari-sama's death. The Endou were beginning to recover, and then…this. I should have been able to put an end to it when I had the chance, Seizumi – I can't help thinking that my weakness is going to be the ruin of my family in the future._

_**You can't assume you know what future is to come, Hirata.**_

The hawk's words pierced through his thoughts, and Hirata was aware of a sudden hush in the breeze, as though it too had paused to listen to Tsumi no Fuuhi's voice.

_**Your parents do not blame you. The Council do not blame you. You won't move forward if you keep blaming yourself for missed chances in the past. **_

_But Eiraki hasn't been found. Neither she nor Keitarou are anywhere the Council have looked – and if that's the case, Keitarou must also still be alive. As badly injured as he was when Kinnya-sama defeated him, he still, somehow, managed to live. He and Eiraki have managed to conceal themselves…and Eiraki…_

_**You think about the baby, don't you?**_

_How can I not? The infant is my niece or nephew, who will probably be taught from birth to hate everything that I hold dear. _

He glanced at his hands.

_Maybe to hate me…even kill me, given the last encounter. You should never leave a savage beast wounded, because the wounds can heal more quickly than the memories can fade. I should know that, living as an Endou. _

_**It may yet become your fight again.**_

Seizumi's words were contemplative.

_**What was it your father said in his last letter? You should be prepared for whatever the Gotei offers you, and work hard for District Seven's sake?**_

_Seventh Squad is under interdict still, because of Seimaru's crimes._

Hirata shook his head impatiently.

_Until those ten years end, I don't know what my duty is. I can't be Captain of a squad that's outlawed, and I don't imagine anywhere else in Seireitei will want to recruit the Endou heir to work within their division._

_**You're considering leaving Seventh for a while, aren't you? **_

The hawk's eyes bored deep into his soul, and Hirata knew that it could read through to the very core of his being.

_**You intend to go hunting for them? Eiraki and Keitarou.**_

_I had thought of it._

Hirata removed his glasses, rubbing the bridge of his nose wearily.

_Would you oppose it, if that's what I chose to do?_

_**I think you consider the weight of this sin your own, instead of allowing it to fall where it belongs.**_

Tsumi no Fuuhi was contemplative.

_**You believe you allowed it to happen and that somehow you didn't protect your sister enough. You know deep down, though, that this was all her own doing and nothing you could have done would have saved her. If you go looking for her – or for either of them – you will not save them. You can only kill them, and the child too. Are you all right with that?**_

_I don't know._

Hirata slowly put his glasses back on his nose.

_Killing Seimaru was easy, but killing Eiraki wouldn't be. Killing Keitarou would be a pleasure, but slaying a guileless infant is probably beyond me. I know what I ought to do, Seizumi…the question is whether I'll have the opportunity or courage to do it._

_**Your father might prefer you not to have either, you know.**_

_He might._

Hirata acknowledged, turning back towards the school building.

_If I'm heir to this Clan, though, sometimes I'll have to make my own decisions. I suppose we'll see whether this turns out to be the first step on that path._

"Hirata-kun!"

At the sound of the girl's voice, Hirata started, the tendrils of Tsumi no Fuuhi's presence slipping away from his concentration. He swung around, pale eyes opening wide in surprise as he recognised his classmate hurrying across the cobbles towards him.

"Edogawa-san?"

"I'm sorry, did I startle you?" Mitsuki fell into step with him, offering him a sheepish smile. "I was with Retsu-sama and only just got released. I didn't think there was anyone out here, but then I saw you, staring up at the sky as though you wanted to run away with the stars. Is something wrong? I thought you'd have heard me coming, but I guess you were very deep in thought."

"I was talking to Seizumi," Hirata reddened, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, I wasn't really paying attention to anything else."

"Sei…zumi?" Mitsuki eyed him quizzically.

"My _zanpakutou_."

"Isn't its name Tsumi no Fuuhi?"

"Yes," Hirata agreed, "but it seems like such a…harsh name."

He smiled faintly.

"Sometimes I think I'm just trying to avoid the reality of being an Endou heir," he admitted frankly. "Once I leave here, though, that's the only thing I'll be."

"Are you afraid of it?" Mitsuki sent him a curious look, and Hirata shrugged.

"Difficult to answer," he responded. "I don't know what I'll be called on to do, yet…and whether I'm equal to it. Even if I am equal to it, though, that frightens me a little bit. Being equal to it may mean being Endou more thoroughly than I've allowed myself to be…time is ticking away, and I still have a lot of things to figure out."

"Eiraki-chan, huh?" Mitsuki offered him a sympathetic glance, and Hirata faltered, eying her disconcertedly.

"Am I that transparent?"

"No, but I'm trained to read people's auras," Mitsuki sighed, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, it isn't really my business. I've thought about her a few times, though, too, since the day she came to kill Ryuu in the forest. She must be near her time now, mustn't she?"

"I imagine so," Hirata agreed morosely. "You don't need to worry about her, though, Edogawa-san. You were kind to her when she and Mother were exiled, and she repaid that kindness by shedding the blood of your kinsfolk. That's not forgivable…nobody expects you to forgive it."

"I haven't forgiven it," Mitsuki admitted. "As a Kuchiki, I can't forgive it. As a healer, though, it's natural to worry about someone when their health might need protection. It's hard to explain, but even feeling angry towards Eiraki-chan, if I was to find her now, in distress, I would help her."

"Like Amai-san helped Keitarou?"

"Maybe," Mitsuki acknowledged. "Sometimes it's a risk we take, when we go out to heal."

"Are you really going to Rukongai, Edogawa-san?" Hirata eyed his companion keenly, and Mitsuki looked pained, nodding her head.

"Shirogane-senpai spoke to Guren-sama on my behalf, now the Kuchiki court have accepted him as heir, and the papers have all been signed," she said softly. "So long as I've passed my final exams, I'm allowed to join up with Fourth Squad and Retsu-sama is very keen on dispatching me to Rukongai to help with their projects there. That's why she wanted to see me – she was going over some details about the dispatch in a couple of weeks from now. I won't pretend it doesn't scare me – but I know it's what I'm meant to do, so I'll do it."

"Mm," Hirata was silent for a moment, then, "Eiraki might be there, you know. Keitarou, too."

"I know," Mitsuki agreed. "What I said still stands, too. If I came across Eiraki in distress, I would help her. As a healer, that's my duty…even if it means delivering the child of someone who hurt people dear to me. I couldn't be a member of Fourth Squad if I wasn't willing to be objective. Justice comes later…healing comes first."

"I see," Hirata's expression became thoughtful. "It's more complicated than I thought, being a healer."

"No more so than being the heir to a Clan divided," Mitsuki said softly. "Whatever Eiraki did to me and mine, Hirata, I think the one hurting more is you."

Hirata looked startled, then he shrugged his shoulders.

"The Endou are fated to fight their kin, and probably always will be," he said resignedly. "It's all right, Edogawa-san."

He pursed his lips.

"What about Juushirou-kun?" he asked hesitantly. "When you go to Rukongai, won't you lose touch? Can you send letters back from there?"

"No," Mitsuki admitted, twisting her fingers together pensively. "Rukongai has sealed channels because of the risk of danger. The spiritual leaks in some sectors are so bad now that there are reports of numerous settlements being infected with rogue levels of _reiryoku_. People are fighting over dwindling water supplies already, but for those with _reiryoku_, the hunt for food is making some more ruthless than others. Without some interference from Seireitei, nothing will change there – but if we were to open the divide completely, it would mean that some of those dangerous corrupted spirits might break loose into Seireitei proper. Aside from Fourth's own specific emergency channels, there's no communication or link with this side of the divide. There won't be…any way for Juushirou and I to keep in touch when I go."

"Does he know that yet?" Hirata asked, and Mitsuki shrugged.

"Probably, he guesses it, even if he doesn't actively know it yet," she responded cautiously. "I'd like to talk to him about it myself, though, Hirata-kun…if you don't mind."

"I won't say anything. It's not my place," Hirata promised, and Mitsuki offered him a sad smile.

"Graduation brings difficult choices and sad partings for a lot of people," she mused, "but if those things make for a better world for more people, maybe they're the right things to do anyway. Juushirou and I both have things we need to accomplish, so we both know that graduation marks us parting. It's sad, but we'll push through it, because we have to."

"Me too," Hirata agreed, moving to pull back the door and gesturing for his companion to enter before him. "That is, assuming we all passed our examinations."

"Do you think anyone didn't?" Mitsuki looked startled, and Hirata shrugged.

"I hope not," he said cautiously, "but they were hard exams and you never know until results are posted what kind of score you might've got."

"Mm," Mitsuki pressed her lips together thoughtfully. "Well, I hope nobody has. Things like squad placements and so on will be announced and decided after results are put up on the board, and it would be sad if someone wasn't involved in that."

"In my case, I don't suppose there'll be any such thing," Hirata said ruefully, as they made their way along the hallway towards the Senior annexe. "Seventh squad is under interdict for another few years yet…so I'm more likely to go home and study about how to run the District than take up arms and fight Hollows. I'm not looking forward to it, but I don't see the Council overturning their verdict just because they're dealing with Father and I and not Grandfather and Seimaru."

"But surely, considering your record as a student here…"

"My record?" Hirata's eyes clouded. "Aside from the fact Endou have a long reputation for short memories where Council edicts are concerned, Edogawa-san, it isn't as though my hands aren't stained with blood. I killed Seimaru and there's probably nobody at Council level who doesn't know that. Sensei hasn't ever mentioned it since that winter in District Seven, but he knows, too. Fundamentally I'm still an Endou, and as a Clan, the Council believes we should be taught a lesson. Probably they're right - in any case, I won't contest it."

"I see," Mitsuki's pretty features became pensive. "It seems a shame, but I understand."

"The Academy has been my home from home for the last five years," Hirata added evenly. "In many ways it's become more of a home and the people here more of a family. I can't run away from my Clan, though, not now there's only a week left till we graduate. I hate that it's ending, but there's no other way of looking at it. Father needs me...so there it is."

"We've all really grown up, haven't we?" Mitsuki paused, putting a hand on the door of the senior common room and turning to look at her companion. Hirata nodded.

"I guess we have," he admitted with a sigh. "I suppose it's from hereon in that we'll find out exactly by how much."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Random factoids.<strong>

冥府門, _the kanji that appears at the header of this story, is "Meifu's Gate" in Japanese (read as "Meifumon"). I think I've already explained before that Meifu is the world of the dead. Mon, as in Senkai**mon**, means gate or entrance. It's a fairly common Japanese kanji, that also features in famous historical "gateways" in Japan such as Rashoumon in Kyouto. I think the character looks a bit like the door of a saloon bar, though. :)_

卒業 _is the Japanese for graduation, "Sotsugyou". I have a fondness for this word simply because one of my favourite series is Sotsugyou M (also known as Graduation M), a series which is little known on account of it's lack of English translation. Hirata's appearance, particularly his big round spectacles was in part inspired by the Sotsugyou M character "Nakamoto Shou" (if you google it, you might find a picture - heck, you might find my website, but that's another matter) although he was just as much based on the bespectacled character that features in the manga image of Juushirou at school. In the anime, that character is given lighter coloured hair - but because of my bias for Nakamoto, Hirata's hair was dark and his eyes were blue._

_The Japanese phrases at the start of each story also has a specific meaning. The one for this story means "Because I'll protect you till our final moment." You can guess for yourselves which character(s) that might be pertinent for as the omake goes on..;)_


	2. Chapter 2

**~Two~**

"Well, I suppose that if things are this way, nobody can have any particular complaints."

Shunsui gazed up at the big noticeboard thoughtfully, chewing his lip between his teeth as he absorbed the columns of neatly swiped kanji written in Genryuusai's unmistakeable hand.

"What do you think, Juu-kun? Can you be satisfied with leaving things like this?"

"That's a stupid question," Juushirou moved towards the board, reaching up his index finger to touch the "_shi_" of his name. "What do you think? I never...till this year...I didn't think that it would end this way, but somehow...I'm really happy that it has."

He cocked his head, glancing at his friend apprehensively.

"What about you?" he asked hesitantly. "You're going to be a squad Captain, Shunsui - is it really all right, if things are this way?"

"You're an idiot to the end, aren't you?" Shunsui laughed, reaching out a broad paw to ruffle his friend's white hair affectionately. "Of course it is. I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. What happens beyond this point is irrelevant. This is about what we've done _here_- and for it to end this way...well, I'm quite satisfied. It's exactly how it should be, and I've no complaints."

"Hrm," Juushirou raised his gaze once more to the board, his hazel eyes shining.

"I didn't expect it," he said honestly. "The final exams were so hard, and when I came down with that fever the night before the Kidou practical..."

"Perhaps that went in my favour," Shunsui looked amused. "Whatever the reasons, though, you battled through it in your normal style, and now you have your reward. Kinnya-sama will be over the moon, and your family will have a lot to boast about. You're a shinigami and a graduate of the Academy - nobody will be able to ignore you easily from this point on, District or otherwise."

"Maybe, maybe not,"

Juushirou stepped back from the board, skimming his gaze over the full list one final time.

_1 = Ukitake Juushirou  
>= Kyouraku Shunsui<br>3 = Yamamoto Akira  
>4 = Shiba Sora<br>5 = Endou Hirata  
>6 = Shihouin Kai<br>7 = Kuchiki Ryuu  
>8 = Michihashi Aoi<br>9 = Souryou Kanshi  
>10 = Edogawa Mitsuki<br>11 = Shikibu Naoko  
>12 = Houjou Enishi<em>

"Joint first," he whispered, more to himself than to his companion. "When I first came here, I never thought in my wildest dreams that I'd be graduating this place top of the class."

"I never thought I'd be graduating, so I'm dangerously close to feeling smug," Shunsui grinned. "Truthfully, though, Juu, I'm happier sharing this position with you than taking it from you. I would've been all right with second, but it's nice, don't you think, finishing together?"

"It is," Juushirou agreed. "I think the same."

He sighed, turning away from the board.

"I wonder what Yamamoto-kun will say, though," he reflected pensively. "He was so hot on people pipping him for top ranking, and although things have been better between us lately, I'm not sure he'll like coming behind the District boy."

"I'm getting used to it."

A gruff voice from the doorway prevented Shunsui from responding, and both boys swung around guiltily to see their Yamamoto classmate watching them, a resigned expression on his broad features.

"Yamamoto-kun..." Juushirou trailed off, and Akira snorted, striding across the room and glancing up at the noticeboard briskly.

"I don't say I like it," he said frankly, "but to tell the truth, I expected it. I don't like you, Ukitake, but I'd already figured that however hard I worked, one of you two would still be ahead of me come final ranking. I had hoped it'd only be Kyouraku, but..." he shrugged his shoulders, "the real work starts from here. Graduating is enough. I'm fine with third. The real skill will come into its own when we're squad listed - and since this means I'm fine to go to First with Father and Niisama, I'm content."

"That was surprisingly gracious of you, Akira-kun. I'm moved," Shunsui offered his classmate a lazy smile, which Akira returned with a grimace.

"Not all of us get _haori_ handed to us," he said evenly. "I promised Father I'd finish in the top three and I have. Job done, and now I'm moving forward - not everything is about grades."

"You're going to First Squad?" Juushirou looked surprised. "I thought that you'd been asked about the Vice Captaincy in Eleventh - was that a rumour?"

"Eleventh?" Akira snorted, shaking his head disparagingly. "Ukitake, Eleventh might be all right for _you_, but for a Clansman, everyone knows that the most honour is being part of the core squad. If I go to Eleventh, even as Vice Captain, I might completely disappear off the Yamamoto radar. Father and Niisama are both strong, and Niisama has sons to follow him. If I go to First, they can't ignore my skill. Progress might be slower, but anyone Clan will tell you there's no other sensible choice."

"You turned down a Vice Captaincy because of Clan pride," Shunsui clicked his tongue against his teeth. "You're quite something, Akira-kun."

"Your situation is far simpler, so don't pretend you understand," Akira retorted. "Eighth Squad doesn't exist. It's been waiting for you to finish here - this _haori _was yours before you even came here, wasn't it?"

"It was, though I never really asked for it, or wanted it," Shunsui shrugged.

"That's not the point," Akira reached up a calloused finger to tap another sheet alongside the class ranking list. "It's here, in black and white. Your name, and Eighth Squad Captain, confirmed. You've accepted it, and therefore your graduation makes it final. You've had rank gifted to you in the most painless of ways...although..."

He paused, eying Shunsui for a moment, then sighed.

"You probably can handle it," he reflected evenly. "I'm not sure what it is about you, Kyouraku, but I get the feeling Eighth Division have a damn good Captain coming their way."

"You really are being frighteningly nice today," Shunsui laughed. "Is it because we're parting soon? Are you going to miss our company, Akira-kun? Or are you just glad to be rid of us in a week or so?"

"You can guess which one is more likely," Akira said bluntly. "You shouldn't spend so much time worrying about my actions, though, Kyouraku. Your name is up here. Mine is, too. We're both squad confirmed, and we're not the only ones. Ukitake, however, is not. He might be top of the class...but that means nothing when it comes to Gotei."

"Akira, that's harsh," Shunsui's brow creased, but Juushirou shook his head, his earlier good mood fading slightly as he digested his classmate's words.

"Yamamoto-kun is right," he said matter-of-factly. "This is the end of one thing, but the beginning of another. Until I have a squad confirmed, I can't really celebrate graduating, can I?"

"Like there's any chance you won't get a squad placement," Shunsui said firmly, and Juushirou shrugged.

"I'll wait and see," he said levelly. "For now, though, I'm going to go find the others and tell them that the results are posted. We've all passed, which means we're all graduating. If it's the last thing we're going to do together, we ought to make it something worth remembering."

He offered Shunsui a smile.

"Congratulations on being first," he said simply. "I think Yamamoto-kun is right, and Eighth Division are going to have an awesome Captain."

"Juu, hang on a minute," Shunsui's brow creased in consternation, but Juushirou did not listen, crossing the floor of the Great Hall and slipping out into the corridor before his friend could grab him by the arm.

He made his way slowly down the hallway towards the door that led to the senior annexe, Akira's words echoing once again in his brain.  
><em><strong><br>"He might be top of the class...but that means nothing when it comes to Gotei."**_

He sighed, pushing open the door and stepping out onto the dew sodden grass, leaning up against the wall of the school building as he composed his thoughts and emotions.

_Sensei said that I shouldn't worry about it, and I shouldn't, but deep down, I can't help but wonder exactly what's going to happen. I am happy that I passed, and that Shunsui and I graduated together...but our paths from this point on are going to be so completely different, aren't they?_

He closed his eyes, rubbing his brow as if trying to forcibly remove the tension that had begun to creep once more into his aura.

_I've known since the start that there's a divide between Clan and District, and I've also known that one day we'd be at this point. I'm happy for Shunsui, and for everyone else, of course. It's not that...I just want to know what I should be doing from now on. Whether I like it or not, Yamamoto-kun is exactly right. If I don't have an offer of a squad, I'm essentially a waste of Sensei's time and training. I can't be a shinigami without being part of the Gotei...but if they don't accept me, will I have let Sensei down?_

He opened his eyes, staring up at the greyish sky.  
><em><br>I was the one who said I didn't want Ojiisama involved in pushing my case more than was necessary. For that reason, he's made it possible for me to join the Gotei, but he's not done anything about selling me to them - and I wanted it that way. I want to do this as Ukitake Juushirou, not as a Clan descendant who's buying his path to a future. I still feel that way, of course...but I did at least hope I'd have a base point to begin from. If I'm not even recruited, how on earth am I going to prove myself and climb my way up?_

"Ukitake!"

Ryuu's voice from the entrance of the Senior Annexe building made him start, turning guiltily to meet his friend's quizzical gaze.

"You have an expression that I dislike the look of," Ryuu picked his way carefully across the damp ground, pausing a foot or two from where Juushirou stood and eying him searchingly. "I imagine you've been to the Hall to check whether our marks have been listed - and I cannot imagine that you have not passed. I am therefore at a loss to explain why you are looking so folorn, Ukitake. What has happened to make you look this way?"

"Ryuu-kun..." Juushirou shot the Kuchiki a rueful grin. "You know, if you carry on like that, people will think you've gotten soft. You're getting scarily good at reading people's feelings - has Mitsuki been teaching you tricks on the sly?"

"This is not a time for joking, and you will not distract me from my question so easily," Ryuu said firmly, taking his companion by the arm and leading him forcibly across towards the Senior building. "You should also not be outside when it's still so damp, as well you know. Don't try my patience, Ukitake. If something is amiss, I would appreciate it if you'd tell me what it was. Has one of us failed our final exams? I know you by now and I know you would feel worse than anyone else the failure of one among the many."

There was faint anxiety in his eyes, and Juushirou shook his head, hurrying to reassure his companion.

"No, nothing like that. We all passed, Ryuu. Don't look worried - I promise, it's not that at all. I'm not upset about my marks, and it's not like anyone didn't make it through."

"Oh." Ryuu's expression became one of visible relief. "In that case, you need not show such a pitiful expression so early in the morning. It is unkind, causing folk to worry about you and about other matters before breakfast has been served."

"I'm sorry," Despite himself, Juushirou felt guilty. "I didn't mean to do that. Look, I was coming back here to get the others - or at least tell them that the marks are posted. I left Shunsui and Yamamoto-kun in the Great Hall, though - do you want to come see for yourself that everyone's made it, or...?"

"I'll help you rouse the others from whatever they are doing," Ryuu shook his head. "Shihouin and Houjou are not here - they both walked down to the far training ground to do some quick sparring before breakfast, and I think that was as much to knock off Houjou's exam nerves as it was to keep their fitness. The girls are in the senior study playing Go, though, and Hirata was in his room - he may even still be asleep. I have seen neither Michihashi nor Souryou, but then I was not seeking them particularly. I was coming this way for a brisk morning walk when I saw you."

"You weren't going to the Hall?" Juushirou stared at his friend in surprise, and Ryuu grimaced.

"I have no interest in doing so," he said matter-of-factly. "You have told me I have passed, and that is as much as I need to know."

"But Ryuu..."

"My class rank is not likely to be where it once was," Ryuu said with a shrug. "I knew this and I accepted it, when I made the decision to remain in Sixth with Father during the early weeks of his convalescence. I tried to study as best I could, but staying at my sister's manor is never easy and I have a nephew who suddenly decided I should be his playmate with swords because his father was otherwise engaged. Father was very ill, you understand, and even when he began to recover, it was difficult to know if he would live. I had almost thought I might not come back here before the end of the year, but he was the one who told me I should return. I do not know whether his health has improved any more since I last saw him - the only reason I left at all was because I had medical assurance that his life was no longer in any danger."

He sighed.

"Once, I would've pitted my wits against you and Kyouraku, and tried to overreach you," he added with a shrug. "This time, though, I find that less...important. True, I would have liked to have reached third, at the very least...but...lately..."

"Your family is more important to you," Juushirou's eyes softened. "In all the time I've known you, that's the first time you've felt that way, isn't it?"

"I suppose so," Ryuu looked surprised, then embarrassed. "It is a very un-Kuchiki sense, but yes...I feel it all the same. I confess, I wish it had taken less drastic circumstances, but perhaps now I feel more able to go back to Sixth and do what is asked of me without feeling there are obstacles in my way."

He smiled faintly.

"Murasaki-aneue is surprisingly rational when you speak to her in detail about the Clan," he added reflectively. "I had not perceived her fondness for Father ran so deeply, but whilst my other sisters have rallied around Okaasama, Murasaki-nee is committed to helping Father regain his strength and, of course, his position at court. He wishes to be there, and I confess, I wish him to be there as well."

"I'm glad about that, then, at least," Juushirou smiled, pushing his own concerns aside for the moment. "I haven't met your oldest sister, and I'm not sure whether she would want to meet me, considering our difference in status, but she sounds like a kind person, taking in Seiren-sama when he was so dangerously sick and helping to nurse him. I am right, aren't I, in thinking that she is the sister due a baby in the not so distant future?"

"Yes," Ryuu nodded his head. "But it is not her first child and she seems to consider such things far more trivially than her husband. I am beginning to like my sister, Ukitake - and I had never before thought that possible. True, she still speaks to me sometimes as though I am a foolish child rather than a grown Clansman but...I have heard Tokutarou-sama speak to Kyouraku that way and I have discovered I no longer resent it."

"The Kuchiki Clan lost its heir, and Guren-sama lost a son," Juushirou spoke gravely. "At the same time, you gained a father and a sister, and I gained a Grandfather I never knew I could meet. It's true what they say, isn't it? Bad things come of good, and good things come of bad. Nothing is either all of one or the other. Everything is a balance, and you can't assume that you know how things will pan out even if the choice seems obvious."

"My choice is already made," Ryuu said frankly. "If I have passed, I will graduate with you all, and then I will return to District Six and be formally accepted as the new Third Seated officer of Sixth Squad. From that point on, I will do everything I can to support Shirogane-senpai and Guren-sama until such time as the leadership changes hands."

"My sword _shishou_ will be Head of a Clan one day. My siblings saved someone very important to the Kuchiki, didn't they?" Juushirou mused, as they headed up the stairs to the Senior landing, and Ryuu nodded his head.

"Senpai has changed in some ways, and in others, not," he reflected. "He also spoke quite firmly with Guren-sama about Mitsuki, which, truthfully, surprised me. I did not expect him to go so far - but he seemed to think it important that he did."

"For Mitsuki, huh?" Juushirou's eyes became pensive. "Ryuu, this is crazy, but Shunsui and Sora...they thought Senpai was in love with Mitsuki. He was pretty firmly in denial about it but...doing something like that for her..."

"I don't know," Ryuu admitted. "I am not so sensitive as to pretend I understand those complex emotions. I believe Senpai thinks a great deal of Mitsuki, and of course, he owes her his life as well as your siblings. I believe he is repaying that debt...if it is more than that, I do not know."

"I see," Juushirou sighed, running his fingers though his lank white hair. "Well, I'll be saying goodbye to her too, soon enough. I won't stand in her way either, Ryuu-kun. Mitsuki has a path she needs to follow and I mean to do whatever is necessary to help her do so. As her friend, that's what I promised and I'm going to keep my word."

"You also have things to achieve, I imagine," Ryuu looked questioning, and Juushirou paused, shaking his head.

"I don't know, yet," he admitted. "My name isn't on the board, not right now. Others are - yours, and Shunsui's, and Yamamoto-kun's...and so on. Mine isn't, though. I suppose I have to wait a little longer to find out where I'm going now school is almost done."

"That explains why you looked so troubled," Ryuu's expression became one of comprehension. "I see. You are not yet firm in your squad allocation, and it worries you?"

"Yamamoto-kun said that graduating here was different from the Gotei, and he's right. It is," Juushirou sighed. "I know I could write to Grandfather, Ryuu, and ask for him to help me, but I don't want to go down that path. I don't think Sensei would like it either, if I did. Still, at the moment, it's up in the air. I'm happy for everyone else, and I want my classmates' names to be up on the board with confirmations as soon as possible. I'd just like mine to be with them."

"It doesn't sound as though everyone is there yet, however," Ryuu said wisely. "You are jumping the gun, and you should not be so ready to panic. Results are freshly up. Positions like mine and Kyouraku's have been decided for some time, and I am sure the same is true of Yamamoto. Kai's too is likely to appear there shortly, if it has not yet. Others are in a less certain position, and you are not alone. Do not let it worry you. Yamamoto has an unpleasant turn of phrase at times, and you should not reflect on it more deeply than is necessary. Graduation is almost a week away - there is time yet."

"True," Juushirou smiled, nodding his head. "You're right, and thank you. I appreciate you saying that, even though I knew everything you just said to be the case. It helps hearing someone else say it, sometimes - it's harder to dispel your own fears."

"Indeed," Ryuu said gravely, "and now, in return, before we reach the others, you can tell me what rank I reached in the final examinations. I have promised myself to accept whatever is given, however much I might regret not doing better - but I should like to know before the others see, if you don't mind."

"Oh, of course," Juushirou grinned. "You were seventh, Ryuu. Seventh out of twelve."

"Seventh," Ryuu pursed his lips. "I see. And Shihouin?"

"Sixth, I'm afraid."

"Ah well," Ryuu sighed resignedly, shrugging his shoulders. "It could be worse. I assume you or Kyouraku were top?"

"Actually, yes and no," Juushirou grinned at the perplexed expression that crossed his friend's face. "Actually, we both came top. Together. We got the same overall marks."

"I see," Ryuu let out a low whistle. "Somehow that is fitting. You two are a rum pair, Ukitake, but it seems right that you should graduate together."

Juushirou laughed.

"I think so too," he admitted. "I'm happy that I finished where I did, but happier that I didn't have to push Shunsui aside to do it. Anideshi ought to finish his Academy career on a high, but Shunsui was so consistently top for so long, it would've seemed almost as though I stole it out from under him if it had been any other way."

"For Kyouraku, graduating first will dispel any doubts anyone has about his suitability to be a Captain," Ryuu added. "He is still very young, and remember, there has never been a student of the Academy who has taken the haori before. Even those who have graduated before us and are our senpai have never achieved such a thing. Kyouraku will be the first, so even as a Clansman, there is still an amount of pressure on him to do well."

"Pressure of this kind seems to slide off Shunsui like water from a duck's back," Juushirou pointed out. "I think he'll be fine, Ryuu. No...no, I know he will be. Whatever he wanted and whatever he thought when he first came here, he knows what he intends to do now and he's found his resolution. Eighth will be fine, I have confidence in that."

"I also," Ryuu owned. "We have all changed much since our first year, but perhaps Kyouraku has changed most of all of us. I would never have believed him to be useful for anything when we first met, but I have been proven wrong."

"We've all grown up together," Juushirou looked a little wistful. "We came of age together, and it seems like no time at all since we were just meeting for the first time. We're going into a dangerous world, and who knows what we'll be asked to do from this point on...I can't help but wonder whether Kai is right when he says there's no danger of us losing touch."

"So long as we live, I believe those bonds will remain," Ryuu said categorically, "but we are entering a warzone, as you rightly say. There is no knowing when death might be waiting for us, and how hard we might have to fight to defeat it."

"That seems an ironic mantra for a shinigami to have," Juushirou realised. "You're right, though. It is like that exactly."

"Of us all, you have the greatest experience in combatting death," Ryuu pointed out dryly. "It should not begin to worry you now."

"That's also true," Juushirou chuckled. "All right, I won't dwell on that side of things too much. Thank you, Ryuu-kun. I'm glad we talked. I'll try not to worry too much about what's ahead, and just enjoy our last week of being together instead. I love the Academy, and every moment has become ever more precious, knowing that it soon will be just a memory we all share. I don't want to ruin that by fretting about what hasn't happened yet."

"A wise philosophy," Ryuu nodded approvingly, resting his hand against the door of the Senior study. "Shall we go share the exam news with Mitsuki and the others, then?"

"Yes, let's do that," Juushirou agreed. "Breakfast will happen soon enough and then we won't have a chance to discuss it, so let's go share the news that we all passed."

* * *

><p>"That was unnecessary, you know."<p>

Left alone in the Great Hall, Shunsui cast Akira a reproachful look, shaking his head slightly to indicate his disapproval. "Juushirou's worked as hard as anyone to get into the Gotei, and saying things like that to him now doesn't help."

"The Gotei isn't a children's party. It's a military operation," Akira spoke unrepetentantly, gazing up at the board pensively. "I don't like Ukitake, but I don't believe in dumbing down the things I say to him. He's smart enough to realise it for himself, and there's no sense him getting complacent about high grades here if it doesn't lead anywhere. He has to work hard - we all will, but him most of all."

"I know that," Shunsui said impatiently. "Taking the shine off his achievement, though..."

"I would've thought you of all people would understand," Akira ran his finger against the characters for Shunsui's name. "You are far too soft on him, and you let him believe that the world is there for his taking. That kind of mentality is likely to make someone slack off and lean back on their past glories. Ukitake can't do that, and if you call yourself his friend, you need to be more up front with him. You protect him from the reality of the Gotei, and he'll never get anywhere."

"Mm," Shunsui chewed on his lip, inclining his head reluctantly. "Perhaps you're right, but I also want Juu to be proud of what he has achieved. I know him better than you, Akira-kun. He's the kind who will fight and work hard no matter what anyone says to him. Praising him for something he did well isn't a bad thing. I don't think it will go to his head."

"I've heard rumours, you know," Akira leaned up against the noticeboard, a challenge in his brown eyes. "I heard that you'd promised to take Ukitake into your squad if no other squad wanted him. Is that true?"

"I might've said something like it...why?"

"You're a fool if you think Genryuusai-sama would allow that," Akira was scathing, and Shunsui's lips twitched into a faint smile.

"I don't think he'd like it very much, either," he admitted. "I'd do it, though, if it was the difference between that and Juu not getting a squad placement. I know what he's capable of, even if the rest of Seireitei don't."

"Or you're just afraid to take on your duty on your own, without your shadow to back you up?" Akira challenged. Shunsui's brows knitted together in annoyance, shaking his head.

"What are you talking about?" he demanded. "I thought you said that I could handle Eighth - what's all this now?"

"I think you probably can," Akira shrugged carelessly, "providing you don't have anything getting in your way. You're blind if you haven't seen it for yourself, Kyouraku. You're one of the strongest shinigami in our class. Maybe you're one of the strongest to ever graduate the Academy - I wouldn't be surprised. You'll be the first Captain, so that's not particularly surprising. However..."

"However?"

"You do stupid things when Ukitake's involved in the equation."

"Such as?"

"Don't play innocent," Akira snorted. "You wanted to race off into the storm and find him when Aizen Keitarou dragged him off to the mountains, didn't you? You fussed and fretted over the idea of Ukitake using himself as any kind of lure, too. You're damn strong, and well born, and you have everything laid out before you to be successful in the Gotei. Yet whenever that District boy is put across your path, you throw judgment to the winds and act irrationally."

"Akira-kun, I hardly think..."

"I heard from Shiba that you almost got killed by a curse in the First Year because of Ukitake," Akira continued ruthlessly, his eyes boring into Shunsui's own dark ones. "I also heard that you abandoned your family estate when your brother was away, leaving it without leadership to plunge into the snows of District Seven with Endou, almost getting the both of you killed into the bargain. Again, the reason was Ukitake. In the Real World, you threw yourself up against Aizen because of Ukitake. Every time you do something ridiculous, Ukitake is at the core of it."

Shunsui's lips thinned, his expression becoming cold.

"You're saying that Juu's company damages me somehow?" he asked softly, and Akira shrugged.

"I'm saying you'd do better without him always in your slipstream," he said matter-of-factly.

"Juu's my best friend, Akira. Would you abandon Souryou or Michihashi that callously?"

"Of course not," Akira was impatient, "but neither one of them would do half the hairbrained, ignorant things Ukitake seems to consider his forte. Listen to me, Kyouraku. You're going to wear the _haori_and represent Eighth District as well as your Clan from this graduation on. Do you realise the responsibility that comes with? A Captain is responsible for the lives of every one of their subordinates. Can you tell me that if Ukitake was in your squad, you wouldn't abandon some other important duty if he was in peril?"

"You just said that a Captain is responsible for every subordinate," Shunsui countered. "What would be wrong in protecting one in peril? Based on your logic, it seems a normal thing to do."

"Not if you prioritised his welfare over someone else's," Akira said bluntly. "Genryuusai-sama won't let Ukitake join Eighth Squad for that reason, you know. No matter how much you beg or plead, he won't risk it. You get far too silly when Ukitake's around to be trusted with the _haori,_so he won't allow you to take him as a recruit."

Shunsui's temper flared briefly within him, then he sighed, the rage seeping out of him as he dropped back against the wall.

"You probably have a point, even if you have a lousy way of putting it," he said reluctantly. "I think the same way, too. Juu is important to me, so there's no way I would let him get hurt if I could prevent it. You can call it what you like, but he's my friend and I don't want to lose him."

He tilted his head on one side.

"You pre-empted me, didn't you?" he asked thoughtfully. "You knew I was about to stalk off to Sensei to ask him about Juu, and you stopped me. Why?"

"I don't want to work in a Gotei that has a joke for a Captain in one of its squads," Akira said gruffly. "There's a level of pride involved in this duty, and I won't let your antics pull it down. I think you'll be a damn good Captain, if you choose to be. You have to let go of your attachment to silly things, though. Be friends with the District boy if you must, but keep him at arm's length. He's no longer at the same level as you are - realistically he never was. Even if he has the same strength of spirit power and can match you on final gradings, he does not have the same line of birth and that's the material point. The Gotei is real Seireitei, where, like it or not, status is based on Clan birth and position. Ukitake may have a Clan kinsman in his heritage, but he is not the same as you. For the sake of everyone taking a shinigami _shihakushou_in the next week or so, keep that in mind, huh?"

Shunsui sighed, rubbing his temples.

"Those were exactly the reasons I didn't want the _haori_in the first place," he said tiredly. "I'll do it now, because I promised my brother, and because if I don't, nobody else will. I don't think I have the same view of Seireitei as you though, Akira-kun. You seem to think it's something that shouldn't be upset. I think...I think the opposite."

"The opposite?"

"I take your warning about my impulses to protect Juu from harm, and I'll keep in mind everything you said," Shunsui nodded his head. "More than that, though, we'll have to disagree."

He glanced back up at the board.

"I'm going to be a Captain of my own devising," he added frankly. "Either I'll be hated, or I'll take Seireitei with me...but I'm not going to act just to please the Clans. That isn't why I decided to do this, Akira-kun. You can call me any name you like, but I don't believe there's any other point in me taking the _haori_. If I'm not going to try and change things I don't like, I might as well not bother."

"That reckless way of thinking is also probably thanks to Ukitake, you know," Akira warned, and Shunsui nodded.

"I know," he agreed lightly, "but it's also the only reason I have motivation to do it at all. If not for Juu, I would've been thrown out of this place a long time ago. In comparison, maybe it's not a bad price to pay, since Eighth will finally have their own squad."

"Well, don't say I didn't warn you," Akira responded briskly. "My father's a squad Captain, so I know more than you what kind of pressure faces someone wearing the haori. If you think you can change things, good luck - but I imagine it won't take long before you realise the old order exists for a reason and that it's better and safer for your squad if you don't try and question it too greatly."

* * *

><p>"This session will now come to order."<p>

Shihouin Midori gazed solemnly around the Council chamber, her golden eyes meeting the identical gravity in the expressions of each of her seven peers. They all knew, she reflected, the reasons for calling this meeting, and why, instead of relinquishing her leadership to the Urahara leader as was normal practice at the turn of a New Year, it was still she who sat in the Leader's seat.

She turned her head to glance at Nagesu, who, his robes sober and muted sat silently in the Third District representative's seat. He had not brought his son to the session today, and though he was not given to emotive outbursts, she could read the tension rippling through his body as clearly as though he had spoken aloud. He had bowed his head to the Council following the New Year recess, emploring them to delay the changeover of power until the matter of the ongoing investigation into Aizen Keitarou's actions had been concluded. Midori knew that he had shied away from following in his father's footsteps, wanting to avoid being an Urahara who handed down final judgement over a close blood kinsman for the sake of Seireitei's stability, and though it had been irregular, none of the other families had objected.

For Midori's part, it had suited her fine. Unlike Nagesu, whose bent was towards reconciliation and who disliked active confrontation, Midori had been raised as an assassin and understood that sometimes cutting ruthlessly through rotten branches of the family tree was for the good of the majority. She was not afraid of Aizen, nor of passing the ultimate judgement over him if the need should arise, and she was only too aware that the rest of the Council had selected her as the best candidate by their lack of opposition to her continued role as leader.

The only trouble was, the exile had not yet been found, and time was slipping by.

Her gaze flitted across the room towards the representative from Seventh District, absorbing Misashi's similarly tense frame and the troubled, closed expression that flickered in his pale blue eyes. His mind was almost certainly on his daughter, she decided, and the path she had chosen for herself as an enemy of Soul Society. Was he concerned about his youngest child, lost in the wilds somewhere unknown with a wanted fugitive as her only companion and, if witnesses were to be believed, a child on the verge of being born? Was he thinking of that, Midori wondered, or was his mind on the future of the Endou and the decisions that may face him should Eiraki and the infant be uncovered by Soul Society's forces?

Yes, that day they had convened to talk about the unspeakable.

Midori sighed, taking a deep breath into her lungs to steady herself before she began to speak again. From each angle of the chamber were people whose lives and families had somehow been affected by the actions of the Urahara exile and his companions, including her own. Briefly she remembered the repatriation of Onoe Tomoyuki's bloody, lifeless form, and the shuddering tears of grief that his mother had shed over his coffin before he had been committed to dust in the way of the Shadow Clan. Watching them, Midori had been struck by a strange, senseless rush of rage. Onoe had been foolish, and she had not forgiven him for that foolishness, but the pain of the boy's mother still rippled through her thoughts, teasing at them until they had forged a bitter grief of her own. One of her Clan had been taken, abused and manipulated as a tool of evil for one whose only aim was destruction, and this was something that, as a Shihouin, she knew was even more unforgivable. Her grief was not for Onoe as a person, but for the fact once again her family's reputation had been slighted, in a world when they were working tooth and nail to reestablish themselves as a respectable Clan.

_All of it because of Aizen Keitarou._

Her slender fingers clenched slightly beneath the long flowing sleeves of her silken _hakamashita_, and she gritted her teeth, forcing her anger to subside.

It would not do to unleash those feelings here, in full view of those whose scars were deeper than her own.

At length she composed herself, getting slowly to her feet and gazing around the chamber pensively.

"Has anyone any news to bring about the exile, Aizen Keitarou, and his possible whereabouts?"

Her words echoed in the silent hall, and out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Misashi flinching at the mention of his daughter's abductor. No, she corrected herself grimly, for Misashi it was something far more shameful, for by Eiraki's own words, Keitarou had made himself Misashi's son-in-law, dragging the Endou-ke's name back into the darkness from which it had been struggling to emerge since the downfall of Seimaru's regime.

"Sixth Division have scoured our land completely, but there has been no sign of him returning to Kuchiki territory," at length Guren raised his voice, casting Midori a weary glance. "Shirogane has led patrols right up to the District Five border and, with the cooperation of Kyouki-dono's Lieutenant, there have been thorough searches in the territory between the two regions, but nothing has come to light to suggest whether or not the creature still lives."

"He was dealt quite considerable injuries in his altercation with Kinnya-sama," Retsu reflected sadly. "Endou Hirata-kun and Kinnya-sama both reported seeing him in a serious condition, which must have hampered his movement quite extensively since he was last sighted in District One. I imagine he would have found it hard to move very far from that point - Hashihiko-sama, have you or your men had any fortune in tracking them down?"

"Nothing," Hashihiko rumbled, shaking his head regretfully. "I have had extra patrols searching the area where they apparently made their escape, but though there were traces of a _Senkaimon _in the vicinity, we have been unable to open it. Genryuusai-sama has also inspected it, and he says that it seems like it was destroyed from inside by the ones who used it. They did not intend to be followed - but what their final destination was we've been unable to determine."

"There was some talk of it being Rukongai," Tokutarou, Shunsui's brother cast a glance at Retsu, his expression one of concern. "I realise that Fourth Division have been releasing people into that locale lately, and plan to send more - in light of that, maybe more militant officers should be sent to accompany them, in case there is..."

"Sending shinigami into Rukongai is already a complicated business," Retsu shook her head, holding up her hand to stop Tokutarou in mid-speech. "Your concern for my young ones does you credit, Tokutarou-sama, and I am grateful for it - but such an action would risk greater harm to the souls sheltering on the other side of the divide. Our people have been particularly screened and trained to make sure their reiatsu does not cause damage or pollution to the environment on the other side, and all of them have a certain amount of their spirit power sealed to protect against leaks. This is still a very experimental process, and we have all learned that it is unwise to hurry in the field of important scientific breakthroughs. We currently have no firm evidence indicating Aizen Keitarou or his young companion have gone there - without that, I cannot agree to putting innocent Plus souls at further risk."

"Catching Aizen is a priority, Retsu-dono, whether he is in Rukongai or somewhere else," Guren said blackly. "Are you saying that the people of Rukongai are more important than bringing to justice a man who would destroy the whole of this world if he had the means and opportunity by which to do it? You forget that he has already declared war on the Clans - surely to ignore the possibility of his presence is only inviting further hostility?"

"Perhaps," Retsu acknowledged gravely. "I understand your feelings, Guren-sama, and they are not mistaken. My duty is to remain neutral, however. The Unohana are only able to carry out their duties by maintaining a balance between the wills of the other Clans. If there were clear evidence that Rukongai was Aizen Keitarou's destination, then I would not speak against dispatching armed officers. That is not the case, though. Nobody has been able to give any indication that he headed for Rukongai - and my agents on that side of the divide have also reported nothing amiss. There are no sightings among the local Plus soul civilians of a man matching Aizen's description, or anyone who could be Eiraki-hime."

She paused, sending Misashi an apologetic look, and Midori saw the Seventh District's leader press his lips together, his brow creasing at the mention of his daughter.

"Are Plus souls to be trusted in matters of such importance?" Nagesu interjected quietly now, anxiety in his pale eyes. "They have not the spiritual wits and understanding we do, and rely entirely on their eyes and ears to process the information they have. If Keitarou was to disguise himself, surely..."

"Aizen suffered a severe injury at the hands of a very powerful shinigami," Midori pointed out. "He also ingested _reidoku_, which could have done far worse damage to his body considering the wounds he'd already sustained. I imagine that he wouldn't have been able to heal quite that quickly...if we assume he is alive, which I do, I suspect wherever he is he's hiding out and lying very low indeed. Rukongai would be an obvious place to look...I'd be surprised if he'd put himself so easily where squad shinigami are now becoming more numerous."

"The Real World, then?" Tokutarou asked sharply, and Midori shrugged.

"He's been based there before," she said evenly. "He's less likely to attract attention from anyone there, and we go there but rarely. I think it's possible, Tokutarou-dono."

"Midori-dono might be correct," Guren admitted reluctantly. "It was the Real World in which he launched the attack on my nephew's life, and he certainly seemed familiar enough with its environment to act in the shadows."

"I also lost a kinswoman in the Real World at Aizen Keitarou's hands," Retsu said quietly. "It is my belief that he could act far more secretly there than anywhere in Soul Society."

"Do you think that he could recover from those injuries, Retsu-sama?" Misashi asked softly, his pale blue eyes unreadable as he voiced his question. "Is it possible we haven't found him because he's no longer there to find?"

"I am unable to be certain without having seen the patient in question," Retsu responded regretfully. "I am working entirely from supposition - the truth is nobody in this room saw Aizen Keitarou's body after he fell into the valley. It is supposition - without reading his reiatsu or examining his injuries, it is hard to give a valid diagnosis. He was able to escape the scene, which implies to me that he probably had enough resolution to keep living. I suspect he probably has survived - but whether the wounds have healed...I do not know."

"Misashi-dono, is there something on your mind?" Kyouki put in quizzically, and Misashi shook his head slowly.

"No, not specifically," he said heavily. "I had thought that perhaps, after fleeing District One, Keitarou might have succumbed to his injuries and left my daughter alone. Eiraki has not much spirit power, but she is cognisant of one technique which I taught to both her and her brother when they were very small. In Eiraki's case, her low reiatsu means that she has no natural aptitude for kidou, but this spell she managed to master and, I imagine, continues to use even now we are parted. Eiraki is probably able to disappear if the need is there - but I don't think she could conceal herself and an injured Keitarou at the same time."

"A spell.._.Kyokkou_?" Guren asked sharply, and Misashi nodded.

"I taught it to both of my children to protect them from Seimaru growing up," he agreed sadly. "I had no idea it might have this kind of application, and if I had known..."

"No, you are not at fault," Retsu interjected softly. "Do not look so pained, Misashi-sama. Your daughter's choices are not your own and you will not be held accountable for anything she does."

Misashi was silent for a moment, then he shook his head.

"Eiraki is my blood and I cannot avoid that," he said grimly. "As Seimaru was, so is Eiraki an Endou. She might have chosen to exile herself from the Clan, but our blood runs through her veins and we cannot avoid all responsibility for her behaviour. Guren-sama's honoured son's life was cut short by a child of mine, and the mortification I feel on behalf of the Endou Clan towards our neighbours in Sixth is immeasurable. I must regret all that I ever taught her, because in that teaching, somewhere, I must have led her awry."

"Any who have met your son know different, Misashi-sama," Midori spoke softly, her tones gentle as she met her ally's gaze with sympathetic golden eyes. "Eiraki's foolishness has come to light only now. Guren-sama doesn't blame you or your kin for her actions, I'm sure."

"I would demand full justice against her if she were to be brought before the Council tomorrow," Guren said blackly. "Her sins are hers to answer for, and I would have her answer with her life, if I could. However, Misashi-dono, Midori-dono is correct. I do not view this as an Endou crime. Ribari's blood is on your daughter's hands, but you need not share in her guilt."

"Guren-sama, to say such things before the girl's father..." Retsu chided, but Misashi held up his hands, shaking his head.

"Blood for blood," he said simply. "If Eiraki is caught, I will not make any attempt to protect her. She has forsaken her family and her honour and has sinned against many people without any remorse or regret. My daughter is a stranger to me now, Retsu-sama. If Guren-sama wishes to hold her accountable for her deeds towards the Kuchiki-ke, I will not make a move to prevent it. In this my wife and I are agreed. We will not forsake our connection to her, nor deny her Endou roots. If she is arrested and put to death, we will grieve as all parents grieve. But Guren-sama was a parent too, and his grief must be answered just as much as ours. Eiraki is a murderer, and crimes must be punished. I will not ask for leniency against one who took the life of such a young and promising shinigami."

"Misashi-dono..." Guren shot his neighbour a startled look, and Misashi returned it with a bitter smile.

"The Endou is a Clan full of such betrayal and bloodshed," he said matter-of-factly. "These days, however, it intends to abide by Council law."

"We still need to find them, before any charges can be brought," Hashihiko pointed out. "While we can't do that, any talk of justice is pointless."

"Eiraki-hime is also reputed to be with child," Midori added, and Retsu nodded.

"One of my apprentices saw her, not long after Kuchiki Ryuu-kun was attacked, and she was quite certain there was a second aura within her own," she said frankly. "This apprentice is one with exceptional perception and skill, and I am inclined to believe her judgement as correct. Given the time of that meeting, I can only imagine that Eiraki-hime is not far from delivering that child. If Aizen Keitarou has indeed survived and recovered from his wounds, I suspect he would not move in any way that would put Eiraki-hime at risk of being captured. Equally, I imagine they are not able to move very freely whilst Eiraki-hime is in such a delicate condition. Wherever they are, therefore, it is probably as hidden a location as they can manage."

"The kind of place where you wouldn't ever think to look, because the moment you did, they'd have nowhere to run?" Tokutarou asked, and Retsu nodded.

"That would be my hypothesis," she agreed. "The Real World is very likely, but it is an expansive terrain and none of us have the time or manpower to dispatch people to search as widely as is needed."

"Are we just going to give up?" Nagesu looked stricken. "Keitarou will come back, you know - if we don't find him, who knows who he might launch his hate campaign against next!"

"Aizen is a danger so long as he lives," Kyouki agreed. "Nagesu is right - giving up is foolish and naive. We can't assume he was too maimed in the attack or that he's currently concerned with other things. This man is a master of illusion and has already caused grievous harm to three Clans in one way or another, not to mention the murder of Amai Suzuno-dono and the trouble caused to Hatsuhiko-sama's squad at the Academy a few months previously. He is not an enemy we can ever let up on. He might come back at any time, and we have to be ready for him."

"The only way we can be ready for him given our current situation is to make sure that if and when he raises his head again, Seireitei is ready for him," Tokutarou said quietly. "Retsu-sama is right when she says that there isn't the manpower to canvass the Real World, especially not while Rukongai is such a focus for the Unohana and whilst Eighth and Seventh Squad are still not active. We only have ten functioning squads at the moment, let's not forget."

"Eighth Squad is soon to come into being, though, I believe?" Midori cast Tokutarou a questioning glance, and Tokutarou nodded.

"It is, and Shunsui will lead it, but it will take a little time for him to get it working to the same level as other squads," he replied. "They've had a head start, and though he's a smart one, my brother, he's also still very young. Eighth District has never had a squad of its own, and it's a new venture for all of us."

"Seventh's interdict remains in place, then?" Hashihiko asked.

"That was a unanimous decision by the Council of Elders following Seimaru's insurrection," Kyouki said bluntly. "With all due respect to Misashi-sama, whose policies are in every way more palatable, I don't believe there is a call to remove the interdict over Seventh just yet. There are many Endou who would quickly forget the reasons they had been barred and in the absence of a shinigami to lead them..."

"Misashi-dono has a son, Kyouki-dono," Nagesu pointed out. "As I understand it, Hirata-dono is quite a gifted shinigami in his own right."

"Hirata is only just twenty, and has spent a good amount of the last few years away from the Clan," Misashi shook his head. "I do not wish him to hold that kind of responsibility yet. His spirit power is developing, but he has yet to command the full obedience of Seventh's lingering shinigami. I have no other children, Nagesu-dono. If I lose Hirata, then the Endou Clan ends with me."

There was pain in his words at this, and Midori sighed, shaking her head.

"Hirata is not ready for Captaincy," she agreed firmly. "I know the boy, like and respect him and believe he will be an excellent head of Clan and Squad leader when it comes to his time. However, that time should not be now."

"Twenty is not so very young for responsibility in the Clan," Tokutarou looked surprised. "I would have thought...wasn't the main reason Hirata-dono wasn't inaugurated as Head of the Endou after Seimaru's death because he hadn't reached his majority? With no disrespect to Misashi-sama, surely you would have supported his claim then, Midori-sama, if not for the Council's regulations on age and inheritance?"

"I would have," Midori confirmed, "but the circumstances then were considerably more desperate than they are now."

"Hirata-dono is an adult now, whereas he was not then," Tokutarou was confused. "What could be the problem? We are talking about a Squad leader, not a Clan one. If Seventh was reinstated, then it would mean more manpower to canvass a wider area!"

"Endou spirit power is not something that ought be rushed or trifled with," Misashi interjected reluctantly. "I love my son very much, Tokutarou-dono, and am very proud of him. I also understand that my position as head of this Clan is a temporary one, waiting until the time Hirata is of age and strength to take it in hand and rule it like a true Endou should. I know, though, that he is raising his _zanpakutou _and that doing so brings risks. I am not like my kinsfolk - I was never allowed to train to release my sword, and I've come to realise that because of it I retained my rationality. Spirit power in the Endou comes in the form of a hunting bird - a predator. If that spirit consumes you before you control it, the risk of madness and ruthless violence is great. My brother was one such example, and I believe Seimaru to have been one, too. My father and mother, even, could be seen in such a light."

"You think Hirata-dono's spirit power could make him a danger to Seireitei?" Nagesu paled, and Misashi shook his head hurriedly.

"I sent him to the Academy, and at the Academy he's learned many things," he said quickly. "I've written to Genryuusai-sama, and had assurance in response that the people and the techniques Hirata has worked alongside have helped to steady and develop his spirit power through more reasonable channels. Endou shinigami kill without remorse, even among their own people, but when faced with his sister, Hirata could not bring himself to hurt her. Genryuusai-sama believes that, if he has a little more time in which to work on his sword, he will take control of his power and use it to his best advantage, rather than letting it control him. When that time comes, I will give him both the Clan and the honour of Seventh Squad, but that time is not now."

"I see," Midori's eyes became near slits. "Yes, that makes sense. I believe Hirata has the makings of a strong shinigami, but given Endou precedents...caution may be the best way forth."

"In which case, we will have eleven squads once Eighth is running," Kyouki sighed. "I suppose that's better than ten, even if we count Fourth out of the equation."

"It is on that matter that my kinsman wishes to speak before you this morning," Hashihiko put in gruffly. "Midori-sama, I believe you sent the communication to Genryuusai-sama that it would be well for him to present his case to the Council this morning?"

"I did, if there are no objections," Midori agreed. "I confess, I don't know what this matter relates to, except that it concerns the Gotei, but I agreed that we would hear it, anyway."

"Probably it relates to that rascal Juushirou, " Kyouki said pensively. "His squad placement has not yet been settled, and I'm sure that Genryuusai-sama has some ideas on how best to manage the first District graduate from his hallowed Academy."

"The District boy..." Nagesu pursed his lips.

"Let's not forget that Ukitake has been acknowledged by my uncle as his grandson," Guren pointed out. "He has no impediment to joining a division, since Kinnya-ojiue has given his full authority and acted as his guarantor."

"True, but Juushirou is not a Clansman," Tokutarou pointed out. "I think Genryuusai-sama would rather we remembered that, and I am absolutely certain Juushirou would feel strongly that we did. I don't think that boy would want special favours from anyone, whether they were his kin or not."

"In which case, we should call Genryuusai-sama to speak before us," Misashi said pensively, and something about his tone made Midori send him a sharp, sidelong glance.

"Misashi-sama, do you know something about what he wants to discuss?" She asked, and Misashi offered a faint smile.

"Probably as much as does Hashihiko-sama," he said vaguely. "He is not a man who ought be kept waiting, however, so may I suggest he is called within?"

Midori's eyes narrowed, but she asked no more questions, raising her hand instead to indicate to the guards who stood at the door that they should admit their guest to the Hall. The doors slid back almost immediately, and as the aging figure stepped into the high ceilinged chamber, all of the Clan representatives bowed their heads to acknowledge him.

"Genryuusai-sama, please, enter and join us," Midori raised her head first, indicating for the old shinigami to come forth. "We have all assembled to hear your words, and I trust, give you an answer that will be to your liking."

"I hope so too," Genryuusai removed Ryuujinjakka from his obi, handing it to the guard on duty, who bowed and scuttled away to place it in secure storage. "Thank you for granting my application to come before you, Midori-dono. What I have to discuss relates very closely to the Gotei from this point on...and I trust you will all hear me with open hearts, minds and ears. I believe what I have come to say will be of great benefit to Seireitei - providing the Council are willing to give it their full consideration."

"We will listen, Genryuusai-sama," Midori agreed cautiously. "Please, before us all, explain to us your proposal."


	3. Chapter 3

**~Three~**

"Last letters from home!"

Enishi pushed open the door of the Senior study, casting its occupants a rueful smile as he brought the rest of his substantial frame fully into the chamber. Although it was early in the morning, the Yamamoto student's wide blue _hakama_ were already dusted with dew and what looked like the first of the morning mud, and, glancing at him, it was not impossible to imagine that he'd accosted the postal delivery messenger out by his horse for the letters, rather than waited for them to be distributed at the pigeonholes. Since they had begun at the Academy, Enishi had considered postal duty one of his unofficial jobs, and it was not unknown for him to attack it with the same enthusiasm he attacked his sparring practice, leaving more than one delivery agent reeling and dazed from the encounter.

"Uebashi said that we won't have any more communcations , since we'll just as soon see our families as receive mail from them, so I've brought everyone's letters upstairs for the last time. Seems a bit nostalgic, really - I'm going to miss playing postman, when we all leave."

"You have some funny ideas of shinigami duty sometimes, Enishi," Akira shot his cousin a resigned glance, taking in the mud-specked _hakama _before holding out his hand to take his own slim missive. "There do seem to be a lot of letters, though, considering Graduation is only a few days away."

"Family responding to invitations?" Kanshi suggested, gesturing for Enishi to relinquish his burden onto the table. The broad shinigami did as he was bidden, dropping them from enough of a height to send a few cascading off the edge of the wood, and Shunsui let out an amused tut-tut, bending down to scoop up the strays.

"I don't think you'd make a very good messenger pigeon, Enishi-kun," he said teasingly, meeting his friend's abashed look with a playful one of his own. "I'd stick to swords and stuff like that after graduation is past - I think some of the Clan higher-ups might resent having their mail thrown at them."

"It was an accident," Enishi objected good-naturedly, settling himself on a nearby cushion and reaching into his obi for his own slightly crumpled letter. "Well? Whose family is definitely going to be here for the ceremony? Shihouin, is Midori-sama coming? It's just over the border for her, surely, so..?"

"My sister and my brother are both coming," Kai nodded, slitting the seal on his message with a well-practiced finger and unfolding the single page note. "Aneue told me so the last time she wrote, so I don't know why she'd be writing to me again so soon. I..."

He faltered, biting his lip, and Shunsui cast him a quizzical look.

"Kai? What's the matter?" he asked sharply. "Bad news?"

"No..nothing like it," Kai got a grip on himself, shaking his head and offering his friend a rueful grin. "Sorry, I was just taken aback. Aneue wrote the address on the back of the letter, so I thought it was from her, but I guess I underestimated her deviousness. The letter's not from her at all - it's from...someone else."

"Someone else?" Juushirou looked blank. "Someone from the Shihouin?"

"Yes," Kai nodded, refolding the letter and sliding it into the lining of his _hakamashita_. "Someone I didn't expect to hear from at all, not even now."

"That's cryptic," Sora remarked, glancing up from her own letter. "Aren't you going to tell us who it's from, Shihouin? It can't be that top secret, surely?"

"I imagine it is from his father," Ryuu, who had no mail that day, folded his arms, leaning back against the wall of the chamber and fixing the dark student with a thoughtful look. "Shihouin Chiaki-dono is still under house arrest, and communication is heavily restricted between those under guard and those not. I am correct, am I not?" as Kai flinched, staring at the Kuchiki boy in dismay. "Yes, I thought so."

"Ryuu, some might have called that tactless," Shunsui sighed, running his fingers through his hair and loosening the tie that had been knotted half-heartedly into the messy waves in his rush to be ready and robed in time for breakfast. "As you just said yourself, some communication is meant to be restricted. What if Chiaki-dono isn't allowed to send messages to his son, did you think of that? People could get into a lot of trouble - sometimes you really need to employ tact."

"Don't be ridiculous," Ryuu snorted, sending Shunsui a derisive look. "Shihouin Chiaki is under house arrest, but has received visits from Shihouin Midori during that time. Shihouin Yanagi was also released from custody, so I doubt anyone would tear hair out over one letter from Chiaki-dono to his younger son. You are overreacting, as usual. The Council are now aware of things they were not aware of before - they know who was really behind the Reidoku, and even if Chiaki-dono is not an innocent man, he is far from likely to incite riots from behind locked doors."

"Ryuu's right, but I'm still not sure if he's supposed to be sending me mail," Kai sighed, pursing his lips pensively. "I haven't seen or spoken to my father since his sentence was carried out - not since my Uncle died. It's true that my sister has applied for and gained permission to visit him on one or two occasions - about Clan matters, though, not personal ones."

He set the letter aside.

"The letter only wishes me the best with graduation and with Midori-nee's plans for my future," he added frankly. "It's not more than a few lines dashed down in a hurried hand, but even so..."

"You're glad to hear from him, aren't you?" Shunsui shot his friend a quizzical glance, and Kai nodded.

"Before everything happened, Father and I were very close," he admitted. "We all were, after Mother died."

A faint smile touched his lips.

"Maybe when I go back home for good, I'll ask and see if I might have a few minutes to visit him," he decided. "It will have to go through all the proper channels, but the Shihouin have done nothing to breach Council Law since Father and Uncle were convicted, so in light of that, maybe I'll try. It can't hurt to ask, at the very least - and I have a lot to tell him that I've not been allowed to say these past few years."

"I know what you mean," Juushirou sighed, looking pensive. "There's a lot I'd like to tell my father, too. I know this is what he wanted for me when he died - I wish there was some way to tell him that I've achieved what he set out for me to do."

"He probably knows," Mitsuki said reassuringly. "I'm sure he does, Juushirou-kun. Raiko-dono, too. Besides, you do have family coming to the graduation ceremony, don't you? They'll be there to be proud of you, even if your father can't be."

"Yes, Okaasama is coming," Juushirou brightened slightly, nodding his head. "I'm not sure who else is, but I hope some of my siblings will be able to make the journey as well. It's a long way and expensive, from District Six, but it's a special occasion so she told me she'd do her best. She promised that at least, she would be there - and that means a lot."

"I imagine Kinnya-sama will be coming, as well," Shunsui sent Juushirou a thoughtful look. "You and he have forged bonds, now, so I doubt he'd give up the chance to see you graduate in all splendour and honour."

"Perhaps," Juushirou agreed. "I really don't know. I didn't ask him about it, and, well, he hasn't mentioned it when he's written to me. I know he knows I don't want him interfering too much in how my future maps out - so maybe he'll stay away because of that."

"Maybe you ought to ask him to do something more than he already is," Akira raised his head from his own letter, shooting Juushirou a challenging look. "You still don't have a placement up on the board, and graduation is only three days away."

"When it comes to that, Naoko and I don't have anything pinned up there either, not yet," Sora interjected, before Juushirou could respond. "Hirata's name also isn't on the list, because Seventh District can't operate a squad yet, so it's not just Juushirou who's waiting to be settled."

"How come you haven't been?" Kanshi shot Sora a startled glance. "The Shiba have two squads available and on hand. I have a placement already, in Hakubei-dono's Tenth, so why don't you?"

"Because I don't want to be a Shiba squad member," Sora said categorically. "I told Okaasama so and I told her again in my last letter. I haven't spent the last five years at the Academy training with people from different places and with different ideas just to be bundled back home and insulated by the rest of my Clan for all eternity. If I'd wanted that, there'd have been no point me coming here. I could've trained at home, like both my brothers did."

"Sora's restless for new gossip and new adventures," Shunsui chuckled, and Sora looked sheepish, nodding her head.

"Is that such a bad thing?" she asked plaintively, and Shunsui shook his head.

"Perfectly in keeping with your character, I'd say," he teased, reaching across to ruffle her curly dark hair affectionately, and Sora pulled back, shoving him away with an indignant yelp.

"Hey! How old do you think I am?"

"Younger than me," Shunsui said unrepentantly. "Besides, stubborn as I know you can be, Sora-chan, Kanshi has a point. You don't want to burn all your bridges. Seireitei hasn't yet got comfortable with the idea of cross-Clan recruitment, whatever might come of it in the future."

"I know," Sora admitted reluctantly. "I just thought, well, Mitsuki's following her heart and her instincts. Why should she be the only one? It's not as though I hate my family - I'd just like to spread my wings a little and prove I can be a shinigami without them watching my every move."

"I understand what you mean," Juushirou reflected. "That's why I don't want Kinnya-sama to do any more for me than he already had. I'd rather progress on my merit, not on his."

"Exactly!" Sora nodded emphatically.

"And as it stands, neither of you have placements," Akira put in blandly, bringing both back down to earth. "In Ukitake's case, it can't be helped, but you're a fool, Shiba, if you don't take what's offered your way. You do have a certain duty to your people, whether you like it or not."

"Blah," Sora glared at him crossly. "You know nothing about the Shiba, so don't pretend you do. Besides, it might be fine to be a member of Okaasama's squad, if it was just that I had to worry about, but my brother Ryuusei is her Vice Captain, and he still treats me like I'm a twelve year old with no thoughts or rights of my own."

"Hakubei-dono isn't like that, though, surely?" Kanshi asked, and Sora shook her head impatiently.

"No, no he'd be worse," she said blackly. "I love my brothers just fine, but I don't intend on being ordered around by either one of them."

"Well, doubtless they'll have their way in the end," Akira shrugged. "Clan usually does, you know. It has pull."

"Speaking of Clan, where is Naoko-chan this morning?" Shunsui glanced around him, neatly preventing the fiery retort that had been burning on Sora's impetuous tongue. "She was at breakfast, but I haven't seen her since."

"Shikibu's been strange and solitary like that since the Real World, in some ways," Kanshi remarked. "I guess she went to read in the library or something...I doubt it's anything much to fuss about, Kyouraku."

"Shikibu's always been pretty independent-minded," Enishi agreed. "It's not unusual for her to separate herself from us, Kyouraku - even before everything happened."

"It might not be strange for her to ditch us, but she's not usually so distant with Sora and Mitsuki," Shunsui eyed the two girls keenly.

"She went to see Retsu-sama after breakfast," Mitsuki said simply. "I think there was some word from her family - Kazoe caught her as we went back to our rooms and asked her to go to the Healing Bay. She hasn't heard anything from her kin since she decided she wasn't going back to Fourth District, so I expect whatever it was Retsu-sama wanted to discuss with her and her alone."

"She's really not going to go home after she graduates?" Enishi looked surprised, and Mitsuki shook her head.

"She can't," she said succinctly. "She loves her family too much, so she won't go."

"That makes no sense at all," Akira snorted. "Nobody blames the girl for what happened to Suzuno - not even me, so there's no reason that her kin would. Shikibu wasn't responsible for events in the Real World, or the deaths of the First Squad members, either. Enishi and I don't bear her a grudge and nor do the Yamamoto, so why on earth her own people would is beyond me."

"You don't understand healers, Yamamoto-kun," Mitsuki responded calmly, reaching down and pulling her weapon from its scabbard, laying it neatly on the mat in front of her. It shimmered briefly in the morning light, the gleam glistening off the smooth surface, giving the implement a gentle, serene appearance. It was a deceptive gentility - for although Mitsuki's zanpakutou was as much a sword as any of the others, it exuded calm and reassurance even in its sealed form. No matter how sharp the blade appeared, it was not a weapon designed to cause harm, and as she set it down, the air around it rippled slightly as if acknowledging its presence.

"When you look at this, you only see a sword, don't you?"

"Well, am I supposed to see anything else?" Akira looked non-plussed, and Mitsuki shook her head.

"No, because you're not a healer," she said evenly, extending a long, delicate finger to touch Yuuyugo's blade. "When I look at this sword, I can see all the fragments of other lives that Yuuyugo has touched. Naoko's life force is still lingering on my sword, because Yuuyugo knitted her wound together and helped keep her alive after she tried to take her own life. It's not a bad feeling, just an awareness that Yuuyugo brushed another's aura and kept a tiny fragment of it for her own."

"Meaning what, exactly?" Akira glared at her moodily, and Mitsuki smiled, re-sheathing her blade.

"Naoko isn't a healer either, so she can't see or sense those things any more than you can," she replied. "Her family, though, all are, and they can. Just as Naoko's life force lingers on my sword, so do the auras of the men Dokusou Houshi killed linger against hers. The blood might have gone, and the weapon might be glistening and pristine again, but you can't ever wash away the taint of death. The Unohana disdain killing of any kind. It would be a great shame to her family if they were to know and acknowledge that someone they loved had sinned against the Unohana code in quite such a drastic way."

"Shikibu didn't kill anyone, not of her own will," Ryuu frowned, and Mitsuki shook her head.

"No, she didn't, but the result is the same," she said frankly. "She knows it and so do I. The fragments she can't sense against her sword are visible and tangible to me. I'm not an Unohana, and more, I understand why those auras are there - but within a Clan of healers for whom life is the most important gospel, what do you suppose the reaction would be? To protect her family, Naoko isn't going home. If they see her and her sword, they'll know at once what she's done. If she simply chooses to stay here and accept that healing is not her vocation, then she won't bring any shame to her family's name. It's a hard choice for anyone to make, but Naoko has made it. That's why she won't go to District Four, and more, why she hasn't settled her squad future yet."

"She can't go to Fourth, but she has nowhere else to go," Juushirou murmured, and Sora grimaced, shrugging her shoulders.

"It's like Shunsui said," she acknowledged bitterly. "Seireitei isn't ready for inter-Clan recruitment just yet. Mitsuki is an exception. Everyone else is stuck."

"Except Juu," Shunsui reminded her. "I'm curious to see what the Council do about that."

"I'd rather not be a Council guinea pig," Juushirou said crossly. "I'll talk to Sensei about it, if nothing has been said by the day of our graduation."

"Meanwhile, we ought to stop talking about Fourth District," Hirata interjected softly, setting down his own letter and fixing the group with a meaningful gaze. "Shikibu-san is heading this way, and I'm sure she wouldn't like to know people were discussing her behind her back."

"I'm going to leave the party for a bit, anyhow," Shunsui said casually, getting to his feet and stretching his arms over his head. "I promised Kaoru that I'd run through a few things with her and a friend of hers before the week was out, and I won't have a chance to do anything like that as graduation approaches."

"Still spending time with Kaoru-chan, even though she's long since been to the Council and had her sword ratified?" A teasing glint entered Kai's golden gaze. "Some might detect over-partiality on your part, Kyouraku."

"Some might, if they had suitably smutty minds," Shunsui laughed, shaking his head good-naturedly. "As it happens, though, she asked me only as a favour to her friend. It's something I apparently taught her and she's not sure how to explain it to her classmate, so I said I'd lend a hand. It isn't as though I have classes now, and so I figured it can't hurt."

"Very innocent," Kanshi wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, and Shunsui grimaced in his direction.

"It's not politic. I'm her senpai and her _shishou_, and Yama-jii would have my hide if I even thought about it," he said frankly. "Just in case you hadn't noticed, Kanshi, I've not officially graduated this place yet. There's still plenty of time for Yama-jii to immolate me with Ryuujinjakka and send me back to District Eight in an ashtray, and I'd rather avoid that if at all possible."

He pulled open the door, casting the startled Naoko a grin.

"Ladies first," he said playfully, standing back to allow her to enter, and the redhead offered him a dark look, merely stepping past him into the senior study without a word. Shunsui chuckled, bowing his head towards her in acknowledgement of the snub, then allowing the door to shut behind him, the sound of his foot falls along the corridor growing gradually quieter.

"Nao-chan, we were starting to wonder if we ought to come get you," Sora shuffled up, patting the space beside her with a grin. "You took such ages."

"I had a letter from home, that's all," Naoko said simply, obediently coming to settle herself in the opening indicated. "Mitsuki, Retsu-sama asked me to pass on a message to you, too. An envoy came while I was there, so I had to wait - she told me that I ought to advise you to go see her as soon as you could spare a moment. I think it's probably to do with formalising your shift to Fourth Squad and the messenger probably brought forms you need to sign, so you better not keep anyone waiting."

"An envoy from District Four?" Mitsuki got to her feet, looking startled, and Naoko nodded.

"I think so. I didn't see them, so I don't know what crest they carried, but that was my impression," she said simply.

"You were there, yet you didn't see them?" Enishi blinked at her, and Naoko sent him a dark glower.

"I'm not currently in a position to meet with members of my Clan, being that I'm choosing not to return to them," she said acerbically, and, with Mitsuki's explanations fresh in their minds, the unspoken meaning of her words hung heavily over the whole of the study. "No, Houjou-kun, I didn't see them. I' m simply carrying over the message Retsu-sama trusted me with. Is that all right with you?"

"Hey, none of my business," Enishi held up his hands in mock surrender, and Naoko sighed, turning her gaze to her quizzical friend.

"Well? You probably ought to go," she said softly. "Retsu-sama seemed quite keen to see you as soon as possible...there's probably a lot that needs to be arranged."

"I'll go now," Mitsuki agreed. "Thank you, Nao-chan. I'll see you all later - at lunch, if not before."

"One by one we're drifting away," Juushirou observed pensively, and Akira snorted.

"That's how it's going to be soon enough, Ukitake," he said bluntly. "We're not going to be a happy band of students for the rest of eternity."

"We are going to remain friends, however, I trust," Ryuu made himself more comfortable.

"Whatever that means," Akira grimaced, but he did not refute the claim, and Kanshi grinned, clapping his companion on the back warmly.

"I think that was a yes, Kuchiki," he decided. "Whatever else, Akira, we'll be going to graduation as a happy band of students. We'll worry about what happens next when it does, but we already agreed that nothing was going to prevent the twelve of us from graduating the Academy with full honours, and that's what we're going to do, right?"

"Hrmph," Akira glowered, and Enishi laughed.

"I'll second that," he said firmly. "There's plenty enough bad guys to be fighting outside of these walls without starting silly conflicts within them. Practice sparring is all well and good, but we ought to remember  
>we're on the same team, no matter what Clan we're from."<p>

"The Clans have been more united lately than they've been in generations," Kai reflected pensively.

"It's because they have a common enemy," Naoko said quietly, her eyes clouding slightly as she turned her gaze on the young Shihouin. "So long as Aizen Keitarou roams free around Seireitei, he's a bigger threat to the Clans than they are to each other."

"At least some good has come out of all this bad, then," Juushirou sighed. "It's not very nice, I know, but I wish Grandfather had managed to stop him once and for all. It's not good, not knowing where he might be now."

Hirata's eyes darkened, but he said nothing, merely turning his gaze back towards his letter, and Naoko's lips thinned.

"We will get him, one day," she said evenly, but there was no belying the deep hatred in her tones. "Whether it's tomorrow, or next year, or ten years from now, we will."

"This is not a nice topic of conversation," Sora said firmly. "Instead of wasting breath on that cretin, let's talk about something else."

"Such as?" Ryuu shot her a quizzical glance, and Sora shrugged.

"Anything that doesn't involve death and murderous shinigami exiles lurking around Seireitei," she said pointedly. "Tomorrow's dinner, the weather on Friday - just, I'm sick of the topic always going around to death and doom and gloom like this. We're going to be shinigami. We're going to go on adventures and see worlds beyond this one. Let's focus on that for a change, rather than all the creepy, icky stuff."

"Pretending it isn't there doesn't mean it will go away, Shiba," Akira reminded her, and Sora snorted, shrugging her shoulders.

"I know, but talking about it constantly doesn't make it any easier to get rid of it, either," she retorted. "I dunno about you, Yamamoto, but I intend to enjoy my graduation. I'm going to take pride in the things I've done and look forward to what lies ahead."

"Me too," Juushirou admitted. "I don't know what it is, yet, but I'm looking forward to it, Sora. Whatever it brings, I'm still excited at the thought of wearing _shihakushou_for the first time, instead of school uniform."

"We get to wear _shihakushou _on the day we graduate, don't we?" Kai looked thoughtful, and Kanshi nodded.

"That's the usual convention, yes," he agreed. "We're not students any more, then. We're proper squad trainees - or recruits, or whatever they want to call us."

"_Shihakushou_, huh..." Enishi grinned. "I suppose Kyouraku will have a _haori_, as well."

"Not when we graduate, he won't," Akira shook his head. "Captaincy can't be awarded by the Academy, no matter how important Genryuusai-sama might be to Seireitei's Gotei."

"It can't?" Enishi looked taken aback. "How is it done, then?"

"Don't you pay any attention to Clan protocol?" Akira shot him a withering look. "For heaven's sake, Enishi, what do you do when you're home?"

"Spar, try not to get into too much trouble, eat," Enishi looked sheepish. "That's about the size of it. I'm not up on the politics and all of those technicalities, Akira."

"Divisional _haori _are awarded by the Council of Elders," Sora supplemented briskly. "Hakubei-nii got his that way, as Captain of Tenth. Shunsui will be the same. More so, probably, since Eighth is a new squad from one of the core houses. Eighth have had a Gotei shinigami in charge of their territory before, but Matsuhara-sama died before the squad system began. This is a whole new venture, so the Council will want to do things properly."

"So he won't be awarded with it here?" Enishi looked mildly disappointed. "Pity. I'd have liked to have seen it - one of my classmates ranking up like that. It's exciting, and I'd have liked to have been cheering him on."

"It's more logical for the Council to be involved, though, since most of them are already Gotei shinigami leaders," Kai pointed out. "Don't worry, Houjou. We're all still going to graduate together. Kyouraku might get summoned to Inner Seireitei for the _haori_, but he'll still pick up his school honours with the rest of us. We're all going to graduate together, as promised - nothing is going to stand in the way of that."

"Whatever comes next," Naoko intoned softly, and Sora shot her a sharp look.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Naoko nodded, offering her friend a faint smile. "I'm as undecided as to my future as you are, but other than that...yes."

Sora eyed her for a moment, then got to her feet, reaching out to yank her companion upright.

"We'll go for a walk in the grounds, you and I, and you can tell me what Retsu-sama said to you this morning, without all these nosy gawkers listening in," she decided. "Come on. It's a nice day and the air is fresh. It's stuffy in here, and we might as well enjoy the Academy while we're still here to do so, right?"

"All right," Naoko looked doubtful, but nodded his head. "I'm coming, Sora. Wait for me."

* * *

><p>The sun was shining weakly through the morning cloud as Shunsui pushed open the door to the grounds, glancing around him for a moment, then slipping off through the grass towards the thick forestland that flanked the edge of the Academy's territory. It was an area where, in summer, he had always enjoyed taking a nap, and for a moment he paused, surveying it with a wistful sigh. He would not be here next summer, when the boughs were just right for curling up in and dozing in the warmth of the midday sun. It would be the province of other students, greener and less savvy, to discover and exploit the many hiding places he had spent the best part of five years mapping out, and he felt a pang of rueful regret. He had never intended to, but somehow, without him realising, he had built up a fondness for this place and it's rules and regulations. Graduation was only a few days away, but although he was enough of a realist to know the future loomed and was not about to be put off, there was a certain appeal to the past that made him hesitate. Shunsui was not one to express strong feelings about anything, whether love or hate, without a comforting veneer of humour to cushion the blow, but, as he gazed out across the browns, greens and blossoms of his haunting ground, he admitted to himself that he had liked being at the Academy. No, he corrected himself with a sigh, at times he had loved it.<p>

Still, there was no time now for such fond reminisces. He had come out into the brisk spring wind in pursuit of another errand, and he frowned, pursing his lips as he pulled out the crumpled sheet of parchment he had surrepticiously slid into his obi, examining its contents once again.

_Cryptic, yet intriguing, and enough to pull me out of my warm study to investigate._

A wry smile touched his lips as he realised the writer had read his mood perfectly.

_I have to hand it to you, Hakubei, you still know how to get my attention, even now we're both grown up.  
><em>  
>He refolded the letter, sliding it into his obi once again and stepping carefully over a partially exposed tree root, resting his hand up against the trunk as he gauged his bearings. Extending his spiritual wits slowly and carefully so as not to excite anyone else's suspicions, he scanned the surrounding area, waiting for the faint glimmer of a signal that would tell him where his target was waiting.<br>_  
>I hope that nobody bothers to ask Kaoru-chan what exactly I was teaching her and her friends this afternoon. I had to say something, otherwise they would never have let me slip out without a full interrogation.<em>

He sighed, inwardly apologising to his young deshi for using her name in vain.

_Still, Hakubei's note said to come alone and not to mention his communication to anyone. I get the feeling that nobody knows he's come here, and perhaps he's not meant to be here at all. That in itself makes me curious - and a little uneasy. Why is he lurking around the Academy, three days before the graduation ceremony? More to the point, why is it me he's singling out like this? Why not Sora? _

"You made good time. I've only been waiting a while."

As the trees parted into a small clearing, Shunsui caught a glimpse of the white flash of Gotei haori, and the next moment he found himself face to face with Shiba Hakubei, Captain of the Tenth Squad, and Sora's second older brother. There were a few years between the two of them, for Hakubei was in his middle twenties, now, but the same glint of mischief that Shunsui always associated with the second Shiba son still glimmered in the green eyes, and despite himself, he offered his unexpected visitor a droll smile.

"Sneaking a secret message past the school guards and into my pigeonhole is very surrepticious, for you," he said casually, putting his hands on his hips. "I didn't pick up your reiatsu till I reached the wood, either. What's it in aid of, Hakubei? I'm not used to being dragged out to secret forest assignations like this, and if it's all the same to you, I'd much rather be lured here by a pretty woman than a guy who calls himself my brother's brother."

"Same old Shunsui!" Hakubei's eyes crinkled in humour at Shunsui's offhand words, and he grasped the younger man's hand firmly in his, giving it a brief shake. "I'm glad. I thought for sure you'd be curious to come find out what I wanted, but you found me more quickly than I thought you might. I guess there's something in this crazy idea of making you a Captain, huh?"

"Ask my brother, I couldn't tell you." Shunsui said benignly. "In the meantime, what's with all the cloak and dagger? And, speaking of cloaks, it's coolish out here, and I don't have mine, so get to the point and then we can both go into the warm."

"It's quite dry under the trees, and they keep the worst of the wind out," Hakubei gestured for his companion to sit down,and Shunsui eyed his companion for a moment before doing as he was bidden, finding that the broad trunk of the tree did indeed shield him from much of the chill breeze.

"I have to admit, I didn't expect to see you at the school like this," he leaned back against the reassuring support of the wood, shooting his companion a quizzical glance. "What gives, Hakubei? Graduation is a whole three days away yet, and if you didn't come to speak to Sora, why are you here?"

"I would have thought it obvious that I came to speak to you," Hakubei spread his own teal cloak on the damp grass, dropping down onto it as though he were not a Captain of a Gotei squad but just another student ready to graduate from Genryuusai's hallowed school. "I wanted to talk to you about Sora, but I figured it would be awkward if she actually saw me, so that's why I said she didn't need to know I was here."

"Curiouser and curiouser," Shunsui reflected, folding his arms across his chest. "Well? You have my attention. What is it?"

"Is it true that my sister finished fourth in the final examinations?"

"It is," Shunsui agreed. "I don't know how many braincells she broke achieving that feat, but she managed it."

"Do you think she merited that rank?"

"It's not for me to say, is it?" Shunsui looked foxed. "Hakubei, I'm not a teacher and I don't know what kind of study revision Sora was doing before the finals. She worked hard and she got a high rank because of it - why?"

"I'm sorry," Hakubei sighed, running his fingers through his dark hair. "Look, I'll come to the point. This relates to your graduation and hers...and what happens after."

"Meaning?"

"Ryuusei-nii and I aren't in agreement about what happens next," Hakubei admitted, "and Okaasama refuses to get involved in the discussion."

"Let me guess..." Shunsui looked thoughtful. "Ryuusei-dono wants Sora to come recruit to Fifth where he can keep an eye on her and where she's under Kyouki-sama's leadership...and you want to take her to Tenth?"

"Half right, but no, not entirely," Hakubei shook his head. "Ryuusei-nii wants exactly what you just said. He thinks that as a Shiba hime, there's only one place Sora should be. He wants to process her entrance to Fifth squad, and when he and Okaasama heard that she'd ranked fourth in the year, he was even more enthusiastic about the idea."

"Ryuusei-dono never really thought Sora would make a good shinigami, did he?" Shunsui remembered, and Hakubei shrugged.

"He loves her very much, but he sees her as a pale comparison to Okaasama," he admitted. "That's what's troubling me about this, Shunsui. I know I can trust you, because you know our family better than most people outside of it, but Sora's written to me in the last few months. She was asking me if there was any rule or law that said she had to go into Fifth when she graduated, and I got the impression from her letter that it wasn't what she wanted to do."

"No, she's said similar to us," Shunsui rubbed his chin absently. "It's no secret among the seniors that she wants to be able to strike out away from her own Clan, if she can."

"Right," Hakubei nodded. "For me, getting Tenth was the same kind of thing. I'll never be Head of the Shiba, so I wanted to be able to prove my own worth away from the main squad. Fortunately Okaasama agreed and gave me permission to go - if it had been Ryuusei-nii, he would've probably blocked it. He's accepted it now - grudgingly - but he does say things about family loyalty and that we ought to stick together else people will think the Shiba are fragmenting."

"I imagine that could be uncomfortable," despite himself, Shunsui laughed, reaching out a finger to prod his companion's arm speculatively. "I wouldn't worry, you seem all in one piece to me."

"Don't be stupid, idiot," Hakubei grinned, swiping the younger boy's hand away. "I came to ask for your help, not to be ridiculed for my use of language."

"You get the second as an optional freebie," Shunsui said with a shrug. "Well? What can I do for you, then? I understand what you've said, but how does this involve me? I have no influence with Ryuusei-dono, and surely if you want Sora in Tenth, you need to get Kyouki-sama on board first?"

"That's just it," Hakubei scratched his head awkwardly. "I...don't really want her in Tenth, either."

"What?" Shunsui's eyes widened with surprise. "Then what's all the fuss about?"

"If Sora was in my squad, I'd be too inclined to protect her," Hakubei admitted. "She'd hate that, and we'd fight. I understand how she feels about Ryuusei-nii, but I don't think, when she wrote to me, that she was trying to ask me to take her into my squad. Tenth is close-knit at the moment, and bringing in my sister would upset the balance. She'd need to be well seated, and that would mean displacing a good officer who might resent the imposition."

"I see," Shunsui's eyes became slits, comprehension flooding his features. "I'm starting to pick up where this is going. You want me to take Sora into my squad, when Eighth is officially up and running, don't you?"

"I do," Hakubei admitted. "I know it's a lot to ask, and I honestly don't know whether you'd find it easy to work with her or not. Sora's impulsive and cheeky and you and she have always seemed to get along well, but in terms of being Captain and subordinate..."

"Sora's almost like my sister," Shunsui said pensively. "Tokutarou-nii considers her that way, so I always have."

"The thing is, though, she isn't your sister. There's no blood between you at all," Hakubei pointed out earnestly. "If you're really against it, I won't say any more about it - but when I asked Okaasama, she said that if it was your squad, she'd approve Sora going outside of Shiba squads. She said that if it was any of the others, she'd be wary, but she felt she could trust you not to mess her daughter around - her words."

"That's heavy praise," Shunsui admitted. "I wonder how well she knows me, saying things like that."

"She trusts you, and so do I," Hakubei responded. "Ryuusei-nii isn't happy about the idea, but he can't overrule Okaasama, so if you agreed, he couldn't do anything about it. Of course, Sora's view would need to be consulted too, but I can't ask her about it until I've cleared it with the higher authority - in this case, you. You and I, we'll be equals soon enough in terms of squad rank,and that means I'm being frank with you. I'd appreciate you being frank in return."

"Honestly, I think Sora would be the one getting the worst of this deal," Shunsui grinned ruefully. "I'm doubtlessly going to be a lazy, haphazard Captain and I'm going to drive my squad to distraction."

"Sora already has practice in dealing with that you, though, so she's well qualified," Hakubei chuckled. "I think she's quite fond of you, to be honest."

"Maybe. We do have that kind of naggy friendship - I suppose that's why I see her like my sister," Shunsui reflected.

"So is it something you could consider?"

"It isn't for me to decide. It's for Sora to do," Shunsui shrugged his shoulders. "If she wanted to come to Eighth, though, I wouldn't turn her away."

His eyes twinkled.

"I'm sure I could find a use for her, though like I said, she might come to regret leaving the safety of the Shiba nest."

He paused for a moment, then met Hakubei's gaze head on.

"What you're really asking me to do is take her as my Vice Captain, and that's a heavy job for anyone, let alone a new graduate paired with just as new a Captain," he said levelly. "If I didn't make her my Vice Captain, people would ask questions about why she'd gone from Fifth to Eighth and not stayed with her Clan. That would do harm to your family's reputation, as well as laying questions against my brother and his preference for Shiba over Kyouraku. If I took Sora, it would be on the understanding she would be my deputy, and therefore given a higher rank honour than she could obtain in either Fifth or Tenth squad - correct?"

"As usual, you see right to the heart of the problem," Hakubei nodded his head. "Yes, that's about the size of what I'm asking you."

"That's why the one who decides has to be Sora," Shunsui said simply.

"If she was willing, though, you...would be willing too?"

"I've already said I wouldn't turn her away," Shunsui's lips twitched into a playful smile. "I don't have a Vice Captain candidate, yet. Genryuusai-sensei won't let me have Juu in Eighth in any shape or form, and I haven't got anyone else lined up. It would be easier for me to begin a squad with a subordinate I could trust not to stab me in the back - so I have no objections. I won't take a Vice Captain who doesn't want to be in my squad, though. Talk to your sister - you've already done negotiating with me."

Hakubei sent his companion a rueful glance.

"You know that it would be far easier if you asked her, and not me..." he trailed off hopefully, and Shunsui laughed.

"Are you scared of tackling her with this, Hakubei?" he demanded, and Hakubei sighed, shrugging his shoulders.

"No, but I think it would come better from you than from me," he admitted. "She would hate to think her Clan set her up for this, and..."

"I won't lie to her," Shunsui held up his hands. "It's not that I hadn't thought about it - not just Sora, but you know, taking one of my class into my division as my second officer. I would have liked Juu, but for a lot of reasons, I know that's not going to happen, even if I tried to get Nii-sama to pull strings to help me. Even so, though, you did come here, and you did ask me to take Sora as my Vice Captain. That being the case...you have to be straight with her and admit it's been discussed at home in Fifth. Sora's straight. She's hate it otherwise."

"I know, but my sister's something of a spitfire," Hakubei admitted, getting to his feet and holding out a hand to pull his companion up with him. "I suppose I see your point, but you realise Sora came to the Academy largely on an indignant whim because she didn't want to marry some stuck up member of your Clan. She's capable of making rash decisions and clinging to them, and I don't want her to do something stupid. She is still my younger sister, and whilst I understand how she feels, I don't want her to be hurt."

"Yet you send her to me, knowing the reputation I have with women?" Shunsui arched an eyebrow, and Hakubei shook his head.

"You wouldn't touch Sora, because you already see her as a sister. Like I said, I can trust you in that regard," he said seriously. "Unlike Ryuusei-nii, I see a worth in my sister for the Gotei in her own right. I don't know, of course, where her future might lead her or what kind of career she might have - that's for her to map out, not me. If she was with you in Eighth, though, I could stop worrying that Ryuusei-nii would be plotting how to drag her back to Fifth."

He lowered his voice, then,

"Sometimes Okaasama talks about handing over the squad to him and focusing her attentions on the Clan first and foremost," he murmured. "If that happened, Ryuusei-nii would be Captain of Fifth Squad, and then..."

He trailed off, and Shunsui sighed.

"The sooner this is settled, the better, in fact?" he asked wearily, and Hakubei nodded.

"Before graduating, if possible," he agreed. "I'm sorry to put you in the position I have, but I didn't see any other path."

He hesitated, then,

"About your friend, Ukitake," he added, casting his gaze around to make sure nobody else was listening. "I think the Council have been discussing him, lately. Mother won't say a word about it, but I do know Genryuusai-sama was called before the Council, and there are all kinds of rumours flying about why. It's not to do with the exile, Aizen, but something to do with the Gotei. Ryuusei-nii thinks that they were talking about your District friend."

"About Juu?" Shunsui's brows creased in consternation, and Hakubei sighed.

"I don't know what was said, but I got the impression it was going to come as a shock to people. Him especially," he said frankly. "You've given up, have you, on ever having him in Eighth squad?"

"Sensei wouldn't let me, even if I went and pleaded with him," Shunsui grimaced, remembering Akira's blunt words. "Truthfully, it's probably a bad idea. No, Hakubei, I won't try and claim him. It's all right. There isn't anyone to compete for the slot you want me to give Sora, so if you know anything at all about Juu, please, tell me."

"I already said I don't," Hakubei said impatiently, "just that it's something...big. They discussed it long into the night, and Okaasama didn't go home to Fifth till the following day. Whatever it was, the vote was carried. Ukitake hasn't been told anything yet?"

"Nothing at all," Shunsui looked mystified. "Yama-jii's been here, but he hasn't spoken to Juu at all, as far as I can tell. Juu isn't great at keeping it hidden when something is on his mind. If something had happened, I'd be able to tell. He's much as usual, so whatever it is, it hasn't filtered here yet."

"Hakubei-nii?"

As they stepped out into the Academy grounds once more, Sora's shrill voice made them freeze, Hakubei wincing at the sound of it. Shunsui grinned, nudging his companion on the arm.

"Well, it seems you're rumbled, so now would be as good a time as any to talk to her," he reflected, turning to see both the speaker and her red-haired companion hurrying across the grass towards them. "Suck it up, and remember, you're a Captain. She's just your sister - you can do it."

"Shunsui, I thought you were with Kaoru-chan?" Sora reached them at that moment, Naoko only a few feet behind. "What are you doing here, and with...Haku-nii, why are you at the Academy all of a sudden?"

"I came to speak to you, and to Shunsui," Hakubei cast Shunsui a glance, then turned to his sister, resting his hands on her shoulders. "It's been bothering me a lot, what you've said about graduating and not wanting to go to Fifth with Ryuusei-nii."

"Oh, that," Sora scrunched up her face into a grimace. "So? What has that to do with Shunsui?"

"Hakubei suggested maybe you'd rather join Eighth's new squad, when we graduate, than go home to your Clan's." Shunsui said frankly, and Sora stared, her eyes growing wider with every moment.  
><em><br>"What?"_

"You didn't want to be in a Shiba squad," Hakubei said quickly, meeting Sora's incredulous gaze with his sombre ones. "It was another option that came to mind, and one that Okaasama doesn't object to."

"Join Eighth squad?" Naoko reached them, her sharp greenish eyes darting from Shunsui to Hakubei and then back to her friend. "With _Kyouraku-kun_in charge?"

"Your derision for my leadership capabilities wounds me, Naoko-chan," Shunsui said dryly, and Naoko pulled a face at him.

"It's not worth commenting on," she said witheringly, "since it was obviously an act of Clan-dictated insanity, and those apparently can't be helped."

Shunsui's eyes narrowed, absorbing the bitterness in his classmate's voice and realising that, as like her old self she seemed, Naoko's psychological wounds still ran deeper than she let show. Her resentment for the Clans had begun to fester and grow following her own decision to leave Fourth District, and, as Shunsui appraised her, he realised that while Sora had squad placement options coming out of her ears, for Naoko, finding a place to belong would be a much harder path.

Briefly he thought about bringing her to Eighth too, then, just as quickly, discarded the idea. Naoko would see that as charity and take offence at it - and besides, he mused ruefully, he doubted that even that kindness would induce her to accept him as any kind of leader.

A long silence had fallen over the group, Sora's expression becoming more disbelieving with every moment. Then, at length, she stepped back, pulling herself free of her brother's grasp.

"Do you think you have to decide everything for me, then, Oniisama?" her words were stilted and uncharacteristically cold, and Shunsui saw Hakubei flinch at their sharpness. "Do you think that, if you run around and ask my classmates to take pity on me, you'll find somewhere else to shunt me away where I won't bring shame to the Clan by trying to run my own life?"

"Sora-chan, that's not what..."

"I'm sorry, Shunsui," Sora turned her back on Hakubei abruptly, nodding her head in Shunsui's direction, "but my brother's imposed on you unfairly, and I didn't ask him to. Please don't think that I did. I don't need anyone from any other Clan taking pity on me. If need be, I'll find my own way through the Gotei...you don't owe me anything, and I'd be grateful if you'd forget whatever promises Hakubei-nii's made on my behalf. Whatever they are, I'm sure that I won't be able to keep them."

"Sora, wait," Hakubei began, but Sora had heard enough. Grabbing the startled Naoko by the arm, she hauled her friend away, stalking in high dudgeon back across the grass towards the school building.

Shunsui winced.

"Ouch."

"I told you that it would have come better from you," Hakubei sighed, rubbing his temples. "I expected her to react like that, but you did insist on not lying to her."

"Mm," Shunsui acknowledged, his gaze tracking the retreating figure across the grass. "Oh, well. Leave it with me, all right? I'll find a way to broach it with her again, for better or worse."

"You're willing to try?" Hakubei looked hopeful, and Shunsui nodded.

"For Sora's sake, mostly, because she's upset," he agreed. "Also, for mine. I won't take her into my squad or as my Vice Captain against her will, whatever the Shiba Clan think about it, so I'll talk it over with her and get her real feelings on the matter. I won't make you any promises, Hakubei, because they're not mine to make. I'll just talk to her. Okay?"

"I suppose that's fair," Hakubei agreed slowly. "All right. Thank you. Please make her understand that I'm trying to think with her interests in mind. She wants freedom, and the only way she'll get that is if she goes with you, Shunsui. Okaasama might be lenient, but Ryuusei-nii won't allow her to do her own thing, not even if she wanted to. If she doesn't join with Eighth, then she'll be hauled back to Fifth. She'll have no choice, and I worry about how it will end up."

"I know," Shunsui offered him a smile. "Stupid as you can be, I know you're looking out for her. Me too. She's my surrogate sister too, don't forget."

He patted his companion on the arm, then,

"Go back to your squad. I'll see you in three days, when we graduate," he added. "She still has time, we all do - all right?"

"I suppose that's true," Hakubei agreed. "I'm trusting you, Shunsui. Don't let me down, please."

"It's nothing to do with you," Shunsui shrugged flippantly. "I'm thinking of Sora. Ryuusei-dono's a stick-in-the-mud and old-fashioned at times. He and Sora would be a disaster for Fifth squad, and I like a peaceful life. The Shiba Clan aren't my problem to sort out, but Sora's my friend, and almost my kinswoman - so I'll help. That's all it is, so don't misunderstand me."

He grinned, revealing a row of white teeth.

"Tokutarou-nii is half Shiba, but I'm all Kyouraku," he added simply. "I'll decide what's best for Eighth based on that."

With that he was gone across the grass, and although he didn't look back, he knew that Hakubei was staring after him, a mixture of expressions fighting for dominance across his distinctive face.

_Hakubei is right. Sora would be safer in Eighth than in Fifth or Tenth, and I can offer her something those divisions cannot._

His eyes narrowed as he considered the situation with his usual, methodical care.

_If Sora's really against it, then it won't happen. My friendships are too important to me to be broken by forced Clan scheming. If it's just a matter of her thinking Hakubei's forcing this on me, though, I might talk her around. And, whilst I have no reason whatsoever to be loyal to the Shiba or to pander to their needs, I do need a Vice Captain. I'd given it almost no thought at all, but it would solve Sora's problems and it would solve mine. Nobody would question either of us, and Kyouki-sama and Tokutarou-nii wouldn't object to it, so the Council would clear it. No, I should have thought of it myself, without Hakubei coming to prod me about it._

He frowned, pressing his lips together thoughtfully.  
><em><br>Sora has pride though, and I understand that most of all. She sacrificed any chance of confessing her feelings to Tokutarou-nii because she was Shiba, and the kinship was too dangerous for the Kyouraku administration. She's been tied to District Five since she was small, and she came to the Academy as much to escape an arranged marriage as to become a shinigami. Sora wants to be herself, and that's a dangerous thing for a Clan hime to want to be, even if the world is changing. Much as she'd hate the idea of being protected, in Eighth at least she could strike out for herself. I don't know what kind of Captain the Shiba believe I'm going to be, but I'm not Tokutarou-nii, and just because I'm close to them, I'm not going to pander to them or to Fifth District for support._

A grim smile touched his lips.  
><em><br>I'm going to be a Captain who changes what he doesn't like and ignores as many Clan traditions and conventions as I can. I'm going to be a troublemaker, probably, and I don't need to placate any other Clan to hold my rank. Once I have my haori, I've made up my mind. I'll be a Captain who challenges Seireitei in whatever way I can, and I won't make any apologies for doing so. They don't know it yet, but I'm not going to be a Captain whose loyalties are easily bought, manipulated or sold. Not even to Clans who I respect, and certainly not to those I don't. _

He glanced at his hands.

_Tokutarou-nii, you wanted me to be a shinigami. I make no apologies for the shinigami I intend to be. If Sora's willing to be my Vice Captain, it will mean stepping away from the Shiba, not a safe placement at their bidding and under their protection._

_That's why it has to be her decision, not mine. And why I will always tell her the truth._

* * *

><p>"The nerve of him!"<p>

Sora banged open the door of her chamber, storming inside and tossing herself down on the bed, body bristling with indignant rage. "The nerve of him! How dare he stalk around Seireitei trying to make decisions for me behind my back? Does he think I'm a child who can't decide for myself? I should never have told him my concerns about going to Fifth - but I never expected Hakubei-nii to be such an idiot!"

"Sora-chan, calm down," Naoko sat down cautiously on the end of her friend's bed, reaching out to put a reassuring hand on her companion's arm. "If you don't want to take up his suggestion, you don't have to. It's not as though he can make you go to any division you don't want to. He's not your Clan leader, just your brother - and not even your oldest one at that. There's no need to get so wound up."

"Yes, but..." Sora groaned, flopping down onto her covers in frustration. "Naoko, what must Shunsui think of me now? And my Clan? Trying to pull favours and ingratiate me into Eighth Squad because I have blood connections to Tokutarou-nii's family is a low blow and I won't accept it! I don't care if Okaa-sama approves of it, or anything like that. It isn't what I meant, when I said I wanted to strike out on my own. And to put Shunsui in that kind of position..."

She trailed off, and Naoko sighed, gently stroking her friend's wild dark hair.

"You have family who care to act for you, even if you don't like how," she pointed out softly, and Sora gazed up at her, horror and dismay glittering in her green eyes.

"Oh! Nao-chan, I didn't mean..."

"It's all right, I know," Naoko shook her head briefly. "You haven't upset me, don't worry."

She smiled faintly, putting her free hand to her chest.

"I'm alive thanks to you," she added. "There's nothing you can do to hurt or upset me, Sora-chan, really."

"Mm. Maybe," Sora conceded, pulling herself reluctantly into a sitting position and gazing at her friend hopelessly. "Maybe I'm the crazy one, too, when all's said and done. It's just, well, Mitsuki's going to be a healer. Guren-sama has accepted it, and she's going to leave for District Four as soon as we're done graduating. She's following her heart and her instincts and doing what she believes in. When I think of that, I feel really...pathetic. I don't dislike my family, even if I am mad at them sometimes. I just...don't want to spend my whole life being just another Shiba hime."

"Of course not," Naoko agreed. "Kyouki-sama is a formidable shadow to meet, isn't she?"

"Yes, she is," Sora sighed heavily. "That's part of it, maybe. People always compare us, and I come off second best. Well, of course I do. Okaasama is Okaasama, and there's none to match up to her. I know I'm not going to be her, but it would help if people didn't always look at us that way. I'm her only daughter, so it's natural, but..."

She groaned, burying her head in her hands.

"I won't be able to look Shunsui in the eye, now," she said wearily. "It had occurred to me, you know, that I might escape to Eighth...but I hadn't found the right way to broach it with him. Now Hakubei-nii's got involved, though, that door is closed. It'll just sound like I'm crawling after my kin's request, and I don't want that. I want to choose my own path - not have it picked out and sanitised for me."

"Sometimes choosing your own path is more frightening, though, Sora," Naoko spoke gravely, her eyes sad. "I never thought much about mine, till now - but like Mitsuki, I have to walk towards my own future and hope that I can find which way I ought to go by myself. I'm terrified of what will happen after we graduate, and that's the truth. You want to strike out for yourself, but you have something to turn back to if you can't do that. You have time, if you need it, to decide what you really want to do. I..."

She trailed off, shaking her head as if to clear it.

"I won't feel sorry for myself," she said resolutely. "I already made up my mind that I wouldn't, because it helps nothing. You and Mitsuki believed in the value of my having life, so for you two, I won't give up on it. I have no idea what I'm going to do, though. It's a big, gaping hole. No Clan, no prospects, nothing to indicate what I ought to do. In a way, I envy you. Your family are watching out for you, every step of the way. Mine...mine can't. They won't. I won't let them. It's all changed now and it can never go back."

"Nao-chan..." Sora let out her breath in a rush of air as the anger drained out of her. "You know, you have a way of making me feel wretched, sometimes. I know you're right, but even so..."

"Talk to Kyouraku-kun about it, then, when you're calmer," Naoko suggested.

"I already said there's no way I can!"

"I wouldn't worry about it," Naoko's lips twitched into an acerbic smile. "He's used to being awkward and embarrassing, so he probably won't even notice if you're hesitant in your approach."

"Perhaps, but I don't see what that would do."

"At the very least, you ought to refuse the suggestion properly," Naoko advised. "You need to leave them in no doubt about what you want and how you intend to go about getting it. That means doing so calmly and rationally, doesn't it?"

"I suppose...so," Sora acknowledged. "I suppose you're right. Fine. When I've calmed down, maybe I'll speak to him. But really, Nao-chan, it's so humiliating...having my big brother come all the way out here just to pester a friend of mine to take me on. It makes me feel as big as Hotarue's spirit, and that's not very big at all."

"Hotarue's spirit might not be big, but she has a lot of presence," Naoko said dryly. "Just like you. Look, let's walk up to the healing bay and find Mitsuki, shall we? She might be able to give more rational advice than me, and she understands a lot better than I do about the intricacies of people's feelings."

"People's...feelings?" Sora stared, and Naoko shrugged.

"Kyouraku-kun didn't seem as opposed to the idea as you might think he'd be, if Hakubei-dono really pressed it on him," she observed.

"It hardly matters. The option is done with," Sora said frankly. "We'll go find Mitsuki, though. I'd like to talk it out with her as well, and Retsu-sama must've finished with her by now."

Before Naoko could respond, the door of the chamber was thrown back, and Sora's eyes widened in dismay as she registered the subject of their conversation in the divide, her face pale and her grey eyes swimming with tears.

"Mitsuki...chan?" she whispered, and Mitsuki stumbled forward, dropping to her knees on the floor of the chamber. Sora hurried forward to hug her, and Mitsuki buried her head in her friend's shoulder, clinging onto her as though afraid to let go.

"Mitsuki, what on earth happened?" Naoko was at their side in a moment, but Mitsuki did not raise her face immediately, the force of her emotions too great for her to overcome.

At length the shudders stopped, and she raised her head, melancholy glittering in the distinctive Kuchiki gaze.

"What happened?" Naoko repeated, and Mitsuki sniffed, swallowing hard as she tried to get a grip on her composure.

There was a moment of silence, then, still trembling, the younger girl parted her lips.

"Retsu-sama's messenger...was from...Rukongai," she whispered, her breath coming in uneven starts. "Things have changed. I have to leave here...tonight."


	4. Chapter 4

**~Four~**

"I appreciate your arranging for me to travel here, given the restrictions imposed on active Clan leaders, even ones like me."

Misashi gazed out of the window of Genryuusai's office at the setting sun, pressing his lips together thoughtfully as he surveyed the peaceful landscape of District One spreading out beneath its amber glow. "The Endou and the Yamamoto have not always been on the same side, so I'm doubly grateful for your negotiating on my behalf. Whilst I could have sent someone else, I felt that it was most important for me to tackle the issue in person."

"I agree with you, and that's why I helped bring you here," Genryuusai settled his aging frame behind his desk. "Did you want to speak to Hirata tonight, or will tomorrow do? He may well already be aware of your presence, but..."

"I wonder," Misashi twitched his fingers together absently, pondering. "The truth is, Genryuusai-sama, I'm worried about my son. I've been worried about him since Eiraki disappeared, but more so as he approaches graduation. I'm afraid that, without school to hold him, he might dart off on errands of his own devising."

"You mean, he might go after Aizen and his sister on his own?" Genryuusai was nothing if not perceptive, and Misashi nodded.

"Yes, something like that," he agreed heavily. "Don't mistake me - I have faith in his ability, and I know he's already a fine shinigami. It's just..."

"Mm," Genryuusai allowed the sentence to go unfinished, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "Yes, I see your concerns. I know the boy very well, now, and I sense it there, too. It's in his aura - the unsettled feeling of something unfinished."

"He won't talk to me about Eiraki," Misashi turned from the window, letting out a heavy sigh. "They were so close, and I know he feels betrayed - but it's deeper than that. I know that he encountered her, here in District One, before she escaped. He won't discuss it with me, though. I only know what I do from the reports filtered through the Council. In fact, it was only from Kinnya-sama's deposition to Guren-sama that I realised my children had spoken to one another at all."

Genryuusai was silent for a moment, running his gaze pensively over his guest. Misashi had never been a very substantial man, his heavy brown and red robes hiding a lean, if not overtly muscular frame, and it would be easy to mistake the Endou Clan leader for skinny and weak. Genryuusai privately thought this was one of the reasons that the man had survived as long as he had. He had never raised a_ zanpakutou_, but Genryuusai's spiritual wits were powerful enough to pick up the threads of a voice Misashi had never clearly heard - a hunting owl with its talons bared, ready to strike its prey into eternal darkness with one fatal sweep. His pale blue eyes held a silvery sharpness and intelligence that spoke of a man with limitless focus and drive for the things he believed in, whilst his features barely concealed the genetic Endou hardness of jaw and brow that gave him the faint air of the predator.

His thick dark hair was bound back from his face in the customary silver clasp, his robe gathered with the crest of the Endou, and Genryuusai noted that all of the Clan's conventions were neatly observed for all to see. Glancing at him, Genryuusai saw the image of a picture perfect Clansman, sober and responsible, with not a hair out of place. Despite this apparent calm, however, the old man felt sure that he did not know even half of the things running through his companion's mind. Privately, he thought that most of the Endou Clan perceived even less. Yes, Misashi might not be a physical fighter, and his sword had not been permitted him, but that did not mean he was not a considerably powerful man, and Genryuusai felt suddenly grateful that this man was Hirata's father, for he was certain no other could hold the Endou together until his young student reached his full maturity. More, that with his rationality and strategising, Misashi was far better an ally for the boy than any kind of enemy. Though the Endou had a reputation for killing their own kin, Genryuusai knew very well that Misashi's love for his son outranked any obligation to the rest of his Clan. It also meant that he was observant to any change or fluctuation in the boy's spirit.

Genryuusai knew better than most how volatile Hirata's emotions were, and from Misashi's remarks, he realised that the boy's father understood them as well. They had never spoken of it before, not even when Misashi first sent Hirata to the Academy to learn to be a killer, but now there was very little standing between the young Endou and his Clan, and even less time in which to ensure Hirata's future actions were guided by conscience and restraint. In this conversation, then, he could and would be frank.

He spread wizened hands in a gesture of agreement.

"Hirata missed an opportunity to take down his prey, and it nags at him," he said softly. "Kinnya reported as much to me before he left for District Six. He came upon Hirata in the moments after Eiraki escaped, and at that time the boy was too upset to guard his words. There was a confrontation between him and Aizen Keitarou, and Hirata intended to kill Keitarou. Eiraki appeared and made him hesitate. In that hesitation, Keitarou disappeared. Those are the facts as I know them - but Hirata has barely spoken a word to me about it, either. Perhaps his friends know more, but I don't intend to pry through his confidences to find out."

"Hirata couldn't kill his sister," Misashi mused. "I'm unsurprised by that. Whatever became of Seimaru, that kind of kin-slaying isn't in his nature."

"As a hunter, though, to let your prey escape is a hard lesson," Genryuusai said evenly. "Hirata had the best chance he will probably ever get to kill that man, and he missed it. I don't know if it matters or not. It certainly wasn't his duty to slay Keitarou, nor can I blame him for not succeeding. Hirata won't see that, though. If he wants to go after Keitarou, it's because the hunting bird really has awoken inside of him. He wants to fly, talons outstretched, to bring down his enemies."

"Yes," Misashi's eyes darkened. "When that sword is in his hand, that is the person my son becomes. It worries me...whether he will control it, or it will control him."

"That's part of the reason for our plan of action, isn't it?" Genryuusai smiled, his moustache bristling at the movement. "Misashi-dono, you are his father and you love him dearly, but even you aren't able to reach and influence his actions from this point on. I, as his teacher, might also fail. There is only one who might have a different effect - the one who has doubtless taught Hirata that a different perspective exists. Your son is compassionate and kind. He doesn't shy from death, and blood doesn't deter him, because his sword is a killer...but Hirata himself is not. Five years in the company of one person has made that distinction possible...Hirata has seen his weakness and can tackle it head on to prevent it overwhelming him."

"Five years is short, though," Misashi responded. "Your idea is far more reassuring. Hirata can't take Seventh Squad while the embargo remains in place, and I want it to remain. There are still a good six or seven years of interdict to work off, and if, in those seven years..."

"That's my hope, too," Genryuusai rumbled. "Tomorrow, I will put it to the boys themselves. Hirata cannot hold shinigami office because of his Clan's interdict, but tying him to District Seven with a particular duty is probably the only way to prevent him roaming after Keitarou and Eiraki. We both agree that this would be detrimental in managing his sword?"

"We do." Misashi offered a faint smile. "I only have my son left, Genryuusai-sama. You understand, I trust, how important it is to me to keep him alive and well?"

"As a father, no. I haven't that experience," Genryuusai said regretfully. "But as mentor and guide for so many young souls, yes. Every one of them is precious to me, Misashi-dono, Hirata among them. I lost one young life this year, and it was one life too many...from that perspective, I understand."

He eyed his companion pensively.

"Shall I send a message, then, for Hirata? It strikes me that he might as well know what's going to happen before we discuss it further tomorrow?"

"All right," Misashi looked startled. "Although we could call them both, and then...?"

"No...I will give Juushirou tonight," Genryuusai's eyes flitted to the window and the setting sun. "An urgent herald came from Fourth earlier today, and I seem to be losing one of my pupils earlier than expected. It is unfortunate since time is so short, but at the very least, I will give Juushirou his chance to say goodbye to a close friend. I can't guarantee if or when they'll meet again, so I'll give him tonight."

"I see," Misashi's features softened. "If things are that way..."

"In the meantime, I'll ask for Hirata," Genryuusai got to his feet, moving towards the door in search of a stray junior student. "There are only three days left till graduation, and everything becomes very busy."

"I'm sorry. I feel we're imposing our problems on you at such a crazy time," Misashi apologised, and Genryuusai shook his head.

"On the contrary, your Clan's dilemma presented me with a solution to one of mine," he said frankly. "I now know what to do with my star District student, and for that I'm grateful. It's a challenge I'm certain he won't turn down...not when he understands the full implications of the task ahead of him."

"It will be dangerous," Misashi pointed out, and Genryuusai nodded.

"Yes, it will," he agreed calmly. "It's that exact reason that tells me he'll accept it."

* * *

><p><em>"What?"<em>

Sora's disbelieving exclamation broke the silence that had fallen over the girl's bedroom, and, her own woes forgotten, she held her friend at arm's length, staring at her in dismay. "What do you mean, tonight? What about graduation? What's happened? Why?"

"I don't know, exactly, " Mitsuki swallowed hard, tears still coursing down her cheeks. "I don't really understand! Just, Retsu-sama called me, and..."

She hiccuped, and Naoko groaned, burying her head in her hands.

"If that's the case, it must be something serious," she said soberly. "Mitsuki, try and calm down, if you can. Tell us from the start - what did Retsu-sama say to you?"

"Just that I should have my stuff together and be ready to leave by about midnight," Mitsuki choked out. "She said that she was sorry, but I wouldn't be able to s...stay if I really wanted to g...go to Rukongai with F..F..Fourth Division."

"That's a hard ultimatum, though!" Sora said indignantly. "We've all been talking so much about graduating altogether, as a team, and it's only a few days away! Now this summons, as if the Gotei don't care that we probably won't see each other again for months and months, and..."

"Healers don't work to school timetables, Sora," Naoko's words held an edge, and Sora frowned, falling sullenly silent. "I guess whatever it was, Retsu-sama received word and this is the emergency solution. There's no reason for Mi-chan to be at the graduation ceremony. It won't affect her final marks if she isn't. We have to look at it from the perspective of her future division, not from ours. The Gotei are dealing with life and death. They can't wait around for us to clap each other on the back and say well done."

"I suppose not," Sora admitted reluctantly, "but still, how much warning is that? And you haven't even recruited yet...they want to send you off right away?"

"Something happened in the Real World," Mitsuki said slowly, her voice still wavery, but her tears brought somewhat under control by Naoko's common sense interjection. "I think...an earthquake, or a volcano, or something like that. A lot of...a lot of souls are scattered about Seireitei, and some of the squads have been sent out to...reap them back to Rukongai."

"What has that to do with you, though?" Sora asked plaintively. "You're going to Rukongai too, not the Real World. Right?"

"Mm," Mitsuki nodded, wiping her eyes. "But usually, when one of these big events happens, there's a backlash. The...the number of souls in Rukongai goes up rapidly and the in...influx of spiritual energy causes mu...mutations. Some of the souls are already displaced and disorientated. It d...doesn't take long for them to become Hollow. Besides..."

She closed her eyes briefly, then raised a sad gaze to her companion.

"All those lost, scattered souls need help," she whispered. "Resources in Rukongai are poor, people are suffering. There's fighting already over what little exists over the divide. We can go there, take supplies, medicines, help those who have nobody else to look out for them. Three or four Fourth Division scouts have already been deployed in the vicinity and they sent urgently for back-up. Seireitei still doesn't fully acknowledge that we have a duty to the souls we bring across. Only Retsu-sama has been involved in anything like this."

She let out her breath in a shaky sigh.

"If I go to Rukongai, it will be hard, but I will be able to prove myself without any need for Clan influence," she added. "In Fourth District, that would be much harder. I'm a stranger there. In Rukongai, it's different. That's why I agreed...and I still...I still want to go. Retsu-sama says that the Gate will be opened from Fourth District at half past two in the morning. She intends on connecting the school Gate to Fourth at about midnight, so we can get there and I can be briefed by my squad leader before we head to the other side."

"Not till midnight?" Naoko asked sharply. "In a time of crisis, why so long?"

"The Gate to Rukongai won't be authorised till two at the earliest," Mitsuki said bleakly. "The Gate is meant to be opened as little as possible, because of the risk of pollution and contamination, so it takes time to get clearance and then, once done, it won't be opened again for a considerable amount of time to come. It won't take long to get back to Fourth, so Retsu-sama said I could...have a little time here. She said...it was important for me to say all the goodbyes I needed to say, since sometimes it's a v...very final word. Rukongai isn't a place to take regrets, she said."

"So you're here to say goodbye to us?" Sora looked distressed, and Mitsuki nodded.

"I suppose I am," she whispered. "You, Nao-chan...both of you have been such good friends to me from the start and I'm going to miss you horribly. More than I can bear to begin with, probably. I'd set my mind to leaving, but not...this has shaken me up and I'm not ready to break my bonds with people like this. I thought it would be after graduation...but this way I won't even...can't even speak to my Father."

"Juushirou!" Sora pulled back suddenly, getting to her feet. "Mitsuki, what about Juushirou? You're not going to leave without telling him, are you?"

"Saying goodbye would hurt," Mitsuki murmured, and Sora grimaced, shaking her head.

"No. No, you just said that Rukongai wasn't a place for regrets," she said firmly, reaching down to haul her reluctant companion to her feet. "It hurts to say goodbye - when you've gone, I know I'll cry and I'm sure Nao will, as well. We'll cry on graduation day, when you're not here, and we'll cry after that too, I bet, when we think of things we'd like to tell you or share with you. We'll do all of that and it will hurt, but we've heard from your own lips what's happening and why. We might hate it - well, I hate it - but we know and we understand. You've not left regrets with us, Mi-chan - you can't leave them with Juushirou either."

"But..."

"Sora is right, Mitsuki," Naoko's intervention surprised both girls, who turned to look at her in astonishment.

"Naoko?" Sora was the first to recover her voice. "I thought you disapproved of Mi-chan's crush on Juu?"

"It's not for me to approve or otherwise," Naoko's smiled sadly. "Ukitake-kun is someone Mitsuki is close to. He would be very upset if she vanished without telling him."

"I guess I do know that," Mitsuki admitted, looking ashamed. "I just...he's the only person who might be able to talk me out of going. I know he said he wouldn't, but that was then, before it actually happened. Now it's on us like this, and you know, Juushirou is the one person who..."

"You have your dreams, your hopes, your ambitions, as he has his," Naoko said succinctly. "If he is worthy of you, Mi-chan, he'll understand and let you go. You don't have to sacrifice the things you believe in for the sake of any man - Clansman or District. You don't have to sacrifice those aims for anyone - and I'm sure, if Ukitake-kun is who you believe he is, he knows that."

"Which means we ought to go find him," Sora clasped her healing friend by the hand, giving her a little tug towards the door. "Nao, you check around the annexe...Mi-chan and I will hunt around the grounds. We've only got a few hours in which to settle everything - so the sooner we begin, the better!"

* * *

><p>"The sun's starting to set."<p>

Enishi tapped his sword against the fencing of the furthermost training ground, casting his companion a quizzical look. "Do you want to call it a day, Ukitake, or are you still game for one more bout? It's unusual for you to voluntarily spar with me - I don't want to leave you covered in bruises for graduation."

"I think I can take one more beating, if you don't mind," Juushirou shot his friend an amused smile, tightening his grip on his asauchi and nodding his head. "I appreciate you humouring me like this, too, Enishi. With graduation on the horizon and so many things uncertain beyond that, I needed to let off steam."

"Well, I never refuse a sword spar, you know that," Enishi grinned, adjusting his own sword hold and readying his pose for a second charge into battle. "I was just surprised it was me you asked, that's all. You haven't taken my blade from me once since we began here - and even if we're friends, I don't really plan on changing that today."

"It's all right," Juushirou assured him. "If I was able to beat everyone, I'd probably lose my drive to improve. Besides, you always fight fair, even if you are stronger. I figure, even if my body's a lot more fragile than yours, I can still learn things from working with you."

"Fine praise," Enishi said warmly. "I suppose it's a fair trade, given how much I owe my passing Kidou grade to your efforts, too. Goodness knows how close to the pass mark I scraped, but it's over and behind me now, thank goodness!"

"Do you know what you're doing, yet, after graduation?" Juushirou tapped his sword against his hand, then, at a nod from his friend he darted forward, blade extended towards the Yamamoto's broad upper body. Enishi parried the swing neatly, moving nimbly despite his size to turn the defensive swing into a probing attack that forced Juushirou to take a hop back towards the far fence. "Nothing's been put up on the board yet where you're concerned, so I wondered if you'd had any news."

"Mm, sort of," Enishi pressed his lips together, hesitating for a brief moment and Juushirou saw his opportunity, lunging towards his friend and bringing the blunt-bladed asauchi down in a slicing movement across the taller boy's left shoulder. Despite his momentary distraction, however, Enishi's reaction was lightning sharp, and the clang of sword on sword rung out across the school grounds as, in the dimming light, the Yamamoto launched his own attack, blade centred on Juushirou's midsection.

Once, Juushirou would've felt the tip of the blade brush against his clothing, marking a 'hit' and a point for his companion, but he had worked long and hard on his reactions and so Enishi's weapon swept through air, the younger student already slipping into shunpo to renew his attack from a fresh angle.

"I thought shunpo was against the rules!" Enishi objected good-naturedly, swinging his balance around to face the new assault, and neatly pushing Juushirou's sword away.

"Uh-huh. Kidou is, but nobody said anything about flash-stepping out of danger," Juushirou replied unrepentantly, an identical grin on his own features. "I thought it'd make life more interesting, if we could...hey!" as Enishi's broad form disappeared, re-emerging with a faint shift of air at Juushirou's left shoulder. The glittering asauchi came down towards Juushirou's shoulder blade, and with a curse, the white-haired boy dropped to the ground, rolling over to avoid the weapon's edge.

"Your call, not mine!" Enishi exclaimed cheerfully, tossing his weapon from right to left hand and the back to right before driving forward once more. Juushirou scrambled to his knees, hurriedly bringing his weapon up to parry Enishi's attack, but the other boy was too fast for him, and, with a quick, decisive slash of his blade, the Yamamoto knocked Juushirou's weapon from his grip, pressing the blunted tip of the asauchi up against the younger boy's pale throat.

"I give," Juushirou held up a hand in surrender, and Enishi stepped back, eying his friend pensively. "It doesn't matter what techniques I use, you still have one over on me."

"I've been training longer, that's all," Enishi hauled his companion upright, patting him warmly on the shoulder. "You are better than you were when we first came here. Most of the time, I'd put money on you to win a fight with attacks like that. Just, this is my speciality, I guess. I can't let you beat me, not even in a friendly spar. It's the one thing I know how to do right, so I have to keep that in mind and protect it. Otherwise I might as well be useless, when it comes to hitting the front line."

"You said you'd heard something?" Juushirou dusted his uniform down, eying the stains to the blue fabric with a resigned sigh. "Something from your Clan?"

"Sort of," Enishi agreed, pursing his lips. "In truth, I'm not sure what to do about it. It's a bit embarrassing, really. Makes me wish that I hadn't created such a fuss back in the Real World, actually."

"The Real World?" Juushirou sheathed his weapon, staring at his friend blankly. "When did you make a fuss?"

"Slashing up Onoe like I did...kinda made an impression on people," Enishi ran his fingers through his cropped hair, and Juushirou noticed the agitation in the gesture. "Don't get me wrong, Ukitake, I don't regret pulling Kuchiki out of that situation. I mean, he's my friend, and all of that - of course I'd react that way. Why else? But it's got a lot more attention than I expected. I was just helping a friend - but the Clans seem to want to make it more than that."

"Ryuu is important to the Kuchiki. At the time, even more so," Juushirou pointed out. "It's hardly surprising that you'd be recognised for saving him. You were brave and swift, Enishi. You shouldn't be embarrassed if people praise you for that."

"Yeah, but that's just it," Enishi dropped back against the fence. "I'm not really much for the whole Clan plaudit scene. I'm far more used to being the butt of jokes, if you know what I mean. All in good humour, of course," as Juushirou raised an eyebrow, "don't get me wrong. People are fine with me, and I don't have any axes with anyone else back home. Just, my family never expected a lot from me. Sending me here was the last resort - since they weren't ever going to marry me to anyone, I'm far too socially clumsy to make a good match. I'm a younger son, and I've no real prospects hanging around there, so I came here - well, you know that, right?"

"You're good at being a shinigami, though," Juushirou said sensibly. "They ought to recognise that."

"They do. They have," Enishi looked troubled. "Ukitake, there's a certain amount of pressure on Akira and I both, now we're graduating. Akira could've been the Vice Captain of the Eleventh - but he turned it down, because he wanted to be in First with his direct kin. They've accepted that choice, and he'll join with them after the ceremony is done. Finishing third isn't as good as he wanted, but it's good enough to prove he'll be useful to Hashihiko-sama on the front line."

"Yes, I heard about that," Juushirou agreed. "I don't really understand his feeling that way, but if that's what he wants, it's all right, isn't it?"

"Sort of," Enishi sheathed his own sword, pulling the scabbard from his belt and tossing it into the rack of weapons that stood beside the training ground gate. "It leaves me in an even more odd position, though."

"Oh!" Juushirou's eyes widened as he realised the meaning in his friend's words. "You mean, Akira's gone so now they're looking to you for the Vice Captaincy?"

"Mm. Something like it," Enishi grimaced, glancing at his hands. "I had a letter from Father this morning, confirming that discussions were taking place. It only requires my agreement and it'll be official. There's apparently no obstacle to my appointment."

"Congratulations!" Juushirou's eyes shone, and he grasped his friend's thick paws in his, shaking them warmly. "That's amazing news...and a chance for you to do what you love without anyone bringing you down! You've proven to your Clan that you're worth more than they thought, and you'll make them all eat their words. Eleventh Division are lucky to be having you - you'll be an awesome Vice Captain!"

"Yeah...maybe," Enishi chewed on his lip, and Juushirou's brow twitched in confusion.

"Enishi?"

"I'm considering turning it down," Enishi admitted, and Juushirou stared at him, his grip loosening on his companion's fingers.

"Turning it...but why? Enishi, this is exactly the kind of role you're made for!" he protested. "You're good with the younger ones, you're reliable, and look at how you supported and rescued Ryuu in the Real World! You're a natural as a shinigami and a born leader! Why would you want to turn it down?"

"You don't know the Captain of the Eleventh, do you?" Enishi asked, and Juushirou shook his head.

"I know nothing about any of them," he admitted shamefacedly. "It's a Clan thing - I've not had the chance to learn much about the divisions not directly connected to the Council."

"Minachi Atsushi," Enishi said frankly. "A cousin of my father's - first cousin, actually. They grew up fairly close together - Father is a few years older, but they used to do a lot of training and so on. Father didn't follow the active shinigami life - he had an accident that affected his vision when he was still training, and although he can see to get by, he's not as perceptive as he used to be. His reiatsu detection is like mine, so without sharp vision he was a liability in service. He chose not to put his comrades in danger. Instead, he works in Hashihiko-sama's cabinet of advisors. He and Atsushi-dono remained in contact, though. I've known the man my whole life - ever since I was a tot."

"What's wrong with that?" Juushirou was confused, leading the way towards the ground gates and the school building proper. "I would've thought that makes things easier, if the Captain is a friend of the family?"

Enishi did not reply to begin with, then he shrugged.

"Atsushi-dono is a powerful shinigami, and Hashihiko-sama thinks a lot of him," he said slowly. "He's got a good combat record, and is reliable in the field. He's very demanding, and runs a tight squad. Discipline is a way of life, and well, he's done a good job of leading the new Eleventh to date. His previous Vice Captain was killed in action, and so he wants a replacement that will slot easily and comfortably into his division with the minimum of fuss. Apparently none of his existing ranking members fit the bill."

"Even more reason to select someone he knows, surely?"

"You'd think," Enishi agreed, "but I don't know. The idea gives me chills, if I'm honest, Ukitake."

He glanced at his hands, stretching his thick fingers, then clenching them into fists.

"As a boy, he was always picking out my flaws," he admitted awkwardly. "Too heavy-footed when I moved, too clumsy, too easy to track. No ability with spiritual awareness, a complete failure in all regards. When Father wanted to send me to the Academy, he laughed. He said there was no way that even Genryuusai-sensei would make a useful lump of flesh out of me - his words, almost exactly. He's always been negative towards me. I can't imagine he's chosen me of his own free will. More likely he needs someone, and Akira was his choice. Since Akira's turned him down, there's me. I'm certain if I accept it..."

He trailed off, and Juushirou sighed, taking his friend by the arm and leading him slowly away from the school building.

"He's a bully, in fact?" he asked softly, and Enishi shrugged.

"He's a captain and a commander," he said helplessly. "Is there a difference, once in uniform? He'd be my superior - what would you do? Would you accept, if the alternative was not getting a placement anywhere? There's no room in First for me, not with Akira going there, and if I don't accept the Eleventh Vice Captaincy, my whole training will be a waste of time. Father will be disappointed in me - again - and my family will have to field another bevy of criticisms and jokes at my expense. That's how it always is, and I don't want that. I want Father to be able to talk about me with pride, for once. Just...if I accept...I don't know. Divisions are meant to be about trust, aren't they? I can't imagine trusting Atsushi-dono, and I know he won't trust me."

"He's an idiot, then," Juushirou said bluntly. "If I was a Captain, I'd have you as my Vice Captain in a heartbeat, and I'd damn well appreciate every skill you had in the process. If he can't see that, then he's a fool and he doesn't deserve to wear a _haori._He hasn't seen how hard you've worked and how much you've put into your time here. We all have - Sensei has, too. I'm sure, if you talked to him, he'd help straighten things out for you. He knows what you're capable of...he wouldn't want you forced into something because there's no other choice."

"Thanks, Ukitake," Enishi offered him a smile. "At least I have you on my side."

"For what it's worth," Juushirou dismissed this ruefully, shrugging his shoulders. "Right now, I'm as lost as you are. I don't know where my future lies, either, and time is ticking away far too quickly towards graduation."

"Tell me about it," Enishi groaned. "At the start of the year, I thought being put up to Senior was an honour - but now I'm wishing there was another twelve months left."

"I think we all wish that, a little bit," Juushirou gazed up at the old school building. "We've all made some very special memories here, and leaving them behind is going to be hard for everyone."

"Juushirou!" Sora's shrill cry across the school grounds prevented Enishi from making any response, and both boys turned to see the young Shiba hurrying across the grass towards them, a breathless Mitsuki in tow. One glance at the healer's pale features told Juushirou that Mitsuki had been crying, and his heart skipped a beat as he registered the look of consternation on Sora's own face.

"What's up?" he demanded, taking a step or two towards them, then faltering. "What's happened, Sora? Mitsuki, why are you crying? What's wrong?"

"We've been looking all over for you!" It was Sora who answered, shooting Juushirou a reproachful look. "Nobody knew where you'd headed out to - and on a night like this, too! Don't you realise time is of the essence? Coming out and sparring when it's practically dark - what kind of idiot does that at a time like this?"

"A time like this? A time like what?" Enishi glanced between the two girls, his expression one of bewilderment. "What's eating you, Sora? Ukitake's been with me for a good hour or two - if anyone's been sending out memos, neither of us received them."

"The messenger...from Fourth," Mitsuki spoke now, her words broken and gasping, and Juushirou knew it was not just the dash across the grass that had caused the catch in her voice. "Juushirou...Retsu-sama has had a message from Rukongai. She's sending extra people there as soon as possible. If I...if I'm to go with them, it means l...leaving here. Tonight."

"Tonight?" Juushirou's eyes widened with horror, colour draining from his pale features, and Mitsuki nodded, biting her lip as if to prevent another flood of tears.

"I have no choice," she whispered. "If I don't go then, I won't go at all. Juushirou, I have to...you understand, don't you?"

"She came to say goodbye," Sora's words were sober, and she reached across to squeeze the other girl's hand reassuringly. "She's said it to Nao and I, but she hasn't had a chance to...with you. We...there isn't a lot of time. Retsu-sama wants her for midnight, to leave here, and we have to get all her stuff packed and together before then. There's not much chance to talk, but..."

She trailed off, and Juushirou swallowed hard, his vocal chords momentarily frozen. He stared at Mitsuki in dismay, and Mitsuki nodded her head again.

"Sora and Naoko said that if I didn't come say goodbye to you properly, I'd regret it," she murmured. "I didn't want to, because I didn't want to see you make that face, Juushirou-kun...but they're right. If I ran away, I'd regret it. We both would. I...I don't know what might happen after I go to Rukongai, or when I'll get to come back. At least...at least I w...want to know I said a proper goodbye."

"Houjou, we should go inside," Sora cast the tall boy a glance, and he frowned, nodding his head.

"I'm coming," he agreed, his expression uncharacteristically perceptive as he glanced between Mitsuki and Juushirou. "I'm sorry to see you go, Edogawa. You'll be missed - but best of luck."

"Thank you, Houjou-kun." Mitsuki's response was barely more than a breath on the wind, and her eyes did not leave Juushirou's face. Enishi met Sora's gaze, and the other girl shrugged.

"We'll go inside," she repeated. "Mi-chan, when you're ready to pack, Nao and I will be waiting in our room. We'll help, so take your time, all right? Make sure you say everything you need to...don't leave anything behind."

With that she was gone, leading Enishi across the grass towards the old Yamamoto Clan building, and for a moment silence prevailed, neither Juushirou nor Mitsuki knowing quite how to begin speaking.

"So soon?" At length, Juushirou uttered the words, and Mitsuki nodded miserably.

"An earthquake or something in the Real World means things have changed," she agreed, twisting her hands together absently. "I'm sorry, Juushirou-kun. I wanted...at least, I wanted us to graduate together. I hoped...but now..."

She swallowed, as tears began to trickle down her cheeks once more, and impulsively Juushirou reached for her hand, pulling her towards him and wrapping his arms protectively around her slender frame.

"I don't want you to go," he murmured, his words trembling. "More than anything I want to make you stay here, but I can't, can I?"

"You could," Mitsuki pulled back from his embrace, raising clouded grey eyes to his troubled hazel ones. "Of everyone, Juushirou-kun, you're probably the only one who...who could stop me."

For the first time, Juushirou registered with a pang, his friend's beautiful eyes reminded him of rain clouds, ready to let forth a fresh storm of tears, and something in the realisation made emotion well up in his own eyes. Frustrated, he blinked the sensation back.

"No, I'm not," he shook his head. "Even if I said it, even if you agreed...you wouldn't really be here with me, would you? I can't promise you anything. I can't offer you a better future or carry your dreams for you. I can't do the things you can do - the things you need to do, in order to achieve your goals. If I kept you here, it wouldn't be in spirit. You'd always be wondering 'what if?'"

"Mm, maybe," Mitsuki swallowed, letting out her breath in a sigh. "It's true...if I stay here, I don't know what kind of a future I have ahead of me. Fourth District is not as hostile or as judgemental as Sixth when it comes to infiltrating the Clan, but there's no reason for them to trust me if I'm not willing to go out in the field and prove myself. More, there are people in pain, there. Rukongai is dangerous. We both know that it's an unknown threat that even Sensei wouldn't let us go near. I don't know whether...there's a chance I might not come back. But..."

"Don't you dare say that!" Anger and fear flooded Juushirou's body, and he grasped her by the shoulders, giving her a short, sharp shake. "Don't say things like that before me, or I really won't be able to let you go! I know what you want to do, and I accept that - but don't make it hurt worse than it has to by making it seem like I'll never see you again!"

"Juushirou..." There was no checking Mitsuki's tears now, and she buried her head in his shoulder, concealing those heavy grey eyes from his view. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean...this is why I didn't want to say goodbye to you. I knew I'd hurt you, and I didn't want..."

"No, you needed to come," Juushirou stroked his companion's hair almost automatically, trying to soothe her pain whilst his own heart spasmed fit to burst within his chest. "I'm sorry, too. I expected to have longer to deal with this, and now..."

"We all thought that," Mitsuki's voice was muffled against the fabric of his dusty _hakamashita_. "The Gotei doesn't wait for ceremony or school formality, though. We're needed and so we're sent. It's the first step into the real world for all of us, Juushirou. It will come for you, too. This is how it will be."

She raised her face to his, her eyes still swimming with tears yet her lips were set in a resolute expression, determination lurking beneath her grief.

"I love you," she said softly. "I will always love you, I think. I said once before that you were my soul mate and I believe that's true. Whether we're friends, or lovers, far apart or close together, we're still tied. If anything happened to you, even as far away as Rukongai, I'm sure I'd know. We're tied, somehow. You...you've been the catalyst for me, stepping forward to do what needs to be done instead of hiding behind my Clan and choosing a safe, neutered life. I'm grateful for that, more than I can ever repay you."

"Your repayment is to leave me," Juushirou said bitterly, and Mitsuki nodded.

"It is," she agreed guiltily. "Can you forgive me for it, all the same?"

"I was never blaming you for it," Juushirou extended a pale finger to wipe away her fresh tears. "I understand. We both have goals and aims. Life isn't life unless you're pursuing those. We talked about it before, and nothing has changed now. You have to follow your path and I have to follow mine."

He swallowed, knowing that his own tears would not be held back for long.

"Promise me, though, that you will come back," he said hoarsely, cupping her chin in his hands. "Whatever happens, promise me that."

"I don't know if I can - or how long I might be away," Mitsuki protested, and Juushirou shrugged.

"However long it is, I'll wait," he said firmly. "I'll wait forever, if need be, so long as I have your assurance. Promise me, Mitsuki. Whatever happens in Rukongai - even if you meet another healer and fall in love with him, still promise me. Promise me that we'll meet again."

Despite herself Mitsuki smiled, reaching up to tweak the ends of her companion's lank white hair.

"I promise, then," she said sincerely, "so long as you promise me to take care of yourself in my absence. I won't be there to feed you healing remedies, not for a long time. Promise you'll remember that and look after yourself. If I'm to come back to Seireitei, I expect to find you in one piece."

"I promise," Juushirou agreed. "I will be there. I'm not going to die that easily. I decided when Shikiki healed my heart that I was going to live a long life. I'll keep my word, so long as you keep yours."

"It's a deal, then," Mitsuki's words were so faint, Juushirou almost didn't hear them. "We should seal it...in a way neither one of us will easily forget."

Standing up on her tiptoes, she touched her lips gently to his, and at the sudden, unexpected contact, Juushirou's own instincts flared into life, his arms tightening their hold around her body as their kiss deepened. At length they separated, and from the dampness of his own cheeks, Juushirou knew that, unbidden, his tears had begun to silently fall.

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to make you cry," Mitsuki looked guilty, brushing her hand against his cheek. Juushirou pushed her fingers back gently, shaking his head.

"I would've cried worse if you'd gone without telling me," he said unevenly. "It's all right, Mitsuki. I'll...I'll let you go. It might break my heart, and it might break yours - but it's the right thing to do. I'll hold on to the promise, and...we'll meet again. If I can believe in that, then, somehow, I'll get by. We both will."

"We both will," Mitsuki echoed faintly, then, with fumbling fingers, she unclasped something from about her throat, reaching up to attach it around Juushirou's.

"Mitsuki?" Juushirou's hand went to his neck in surprise, and Mitsuki smiled, shaking her head.

"You're a Kuchiki at heart," she said, her voice rich with emotion. "I won't be one, any more, when I go to Rukongai. Take care of this for me, all right? When we meet again, you can give it back - in the meantime, look after Ryuu and Shirogane-senpai for me. You care for them both, so I know you will - and Kinnya-sama too, of course."

"I'll try," Juushirou's fingers closed briefly around the Kuchiki pendant, then he slipped it beneath the folds of his _hakamashita_, nodding his head. "I will."

Mitsuki nodded.

"I need to go pack my things," she said quietly, "and I still need to say farewell to Ryuu before I go. When I leave, Juushirou, I don't want anyone to come see me off. It will be too hard...I want to just go with Retsu-sama and be done. That way I can turn my mind to what needs to be done when Yuuyugo and I get there. You understand, don't you? When I go, it needs to be alone."

"I don't like it, but I understand," Juushirou sighed heavily, his heart aching in his chest. "You're not a child any more - neither of us are. We're adults making adult decisions, and...and if that's how you feel, I'll respect it."

"I knew you would," Mitsuki kissed him lightly on the cheek once more, before extricating herself gently from his embrace. "I'm sorry that we part in tears, Juushirou-kun, but...one thing I want you to know for sure. I'm not sorry that I touched you enough to make you feel so strongly about me. You...are the strongest thing in my heart right now, and the reason I'll do my best to heal and help the people who cross my path. Having you believe in me...having you love me...is enough strength for a thousand healers. Your heart is stronger than anyone's I know, and your soul is too. I'll try and be as strong as you are, when I'm out there in the world on my own."

With that she was gone, running across the grass before he could call her back, and Juushirou stared after her, his breath knotting up inside his chest and his heart aching with each pump of blood it pushed around his shattered body.

Slowly he sank to the ground, allowing the tears to overwhelm him now he was alone. Unashamed and uninhibited, he cried for the friend he had lost and the love he had never been able to fully establish.

_Love alone isn't enough, not when dealing with Clan and with ambition._

At length the storm passed, and he wiped his eyes on the sleeve of his muddy _hakamashita_, not caring whether he smeared dirt over his cheeks.

_Your belief in me matters to me too, Mitsuki-chan. If there was a way to come with you, I'd come...but there's no place for someone like me in Rukongai. Just as you couldn't achieve your dreams at my side, I...I can't achieve mine if I'm at yours. Fate has a cruel way of dealing it's hand, sometimes_.

Reluctantly he pulled himself to his feet, trudging across the grass towards the imposing shadow of the school building which was all but concealed now in the gloom of the evening. His companions would probably be gathered in the Senior study, now, he realised, but he had no desire to join them. He wanted to be as far away from their cheerful, easy company as possible, to grieve for Mitsuki's departure in peace.

_Shunsui will come looking for me. I'd better lock the Nest door, else I'll never get any peace._

As he mounted the stairs towards the annexe, he fingered the loose key tucked into his obi with a sigh.

_Who'd have thought having my own room would have a purpose, after all. Even though I know he'd just want to be supportive, right now, there's nothing he or anyone can say to help. I need to heal this wound myself...and come to terms with it my own way. Mitsuki's going to do what she believes in, and I support her. No amount of talking or crying over it will change that, nor will it keep her here._

He put a hand to his chest, taking a calming breath of air into his battered lungs.  
><em><br>Even the worst attack of haibyou couldn't hurt as much as this. I knew losing her would be hard, but that it would be like this..._

He sank back against the panel wall of the corridor, letting out a heavy sigh.

I suppose this is what being in love really feels like, then. Whatever Mitsuki and I have called it this long, this is what it really is. I need her more than I thought I did - it's all very well saying that I'll work it through and get past it, but right now, feeling like this...can I?

"Juu...?"

Shunsui's voice from the end of the hall made him start, turning guiltily to meet his friend's gaze, and Shunsui's eyes clouded with comprehension. He made no attempt to come closer, however, and secretly Juushirou was grateful for his classmate's restraint.

"You've heard?" somehow he managed to form words, and Shunsui nodded.

"Enishi told me," he said gravely. "He said you were with...you were outside, but I felt your reiatsu as you came back in. Are you...all right?"

"No," Juushirou said honestly, rubbing his brow wearily with a grimy hand. "I'm not, Shunsui. I'm not okay. I'm sorry, but there's nothing right now you can say or do to change that."

"I wasn't going to try to," Shunsui said soberly. "I've been where you are, Juu - I understand what it feels like."

"I suppose you do," Juushirou acknowledged. "I was going to the Nest. I don't really want any company...I have...I have to work this through myself, if I can. Tonight...I'm sorry, but I don't want any company. Not even...if it's you."

"All right," Shunsui inclined his head slightly. "Just, don't forget we're here, if you do want us. All right? You can have your space - you can have all the time you like, but Juu, you're not alone, all right? When you feel you want to talk, we'll be waiting."

With that he was gone, turning on his heel and disappearing back down the steps towards the study, and Juushirou felt a flood of relief and gratitude overwhelm his body.

_Thank you, Shunsui, for understanding how I feel.  
><em>  
>Pulling the key from his obi, he unlocked the door to the Nest, letting himself inside and fastening the lock behind him. Pulling off his dirty clothing, he grabbed up his nightrobe, wrapping it around his body as though somehow by doing so he could shake off the empty, hollow feeling that had begun to spread through every part of him.<p>

With a sigh, he flopped down on the bed, tears still pricking at his eyes. Beneath the rough fabric of his clothing, the cool sensation of the pendant against his skin offered scant comfort, but he wrapped his hand around it anyway, clutching it to him as though by doing so he could keep a hold of her for just a little longer. Mitsuki's reiatsu still flickered faintly against the metal surface, a reminder of how close to her heart it had originally hung, and he tightened his hold, remembering how she had looked the last time they had met gazes.

_There were tears in your eyes, still, but also, hope. Relief. Gratitude. Love. Belief and resolve for the future. I have to find those same emotions, and move forward. You'll be with me, won't you, Mitsuki? Even though we're separated, we're going forward together. You to achieve your dreams and me...me, somehow, to achieve mine._

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Sayounara, Mitsuki<strong>

_Yes, that's Mitsuki's final appearance in Meifu's Gate. It's a sad farewell for both of them, a love blighted by position and ambition. Sadly, she's the first member of Team Stupid that we have to say a fond farewell to...her deployment to Rukongai is of some considerable duration ;) Thank you to everyone who supported her and especially everyone who supported her and Juushirou in their little game of first love._


	5. Chapter 5

**~Five~**

"So much for graduating all together,"

Thus Kai as the Senior Class took their places at the breakfast table the following morning, amid the bustle and flurry of the rest of the lower school. Many of the younger students were restless and excited, for term was almost finished and they would soon see their families. The buzz of anticipation and the hiss of eager chatter was all around them, yet, as the group of students settled themselves at their usual places, the bright mood of their juniors could not break through their own gloom.

"With only a few days to go, ripping Edogawa out like that seems harsh," Enishi sighed, squeezing his broad frame in between Akira and Shunsui with a grimace. "I understand the whys, of course - we all do - but dammit, timing couldn't have been worse."

"Mitsuki's gone to do what she was born to do," Sora said matter-of-factly, though it was clear from the uncharacteristically solemn look on her face and the shadows around her eyes that she had not slept a lot the previous night. "It's horrible, but we couldn't not let her. Mi-chan is going to save a whole ton of lives in Rukongai, I know that."

"We should be proud of her," Naoko added succinctly, casting her friend a supportive smile. "Mitsuki's the first of us to take up her new rank. She's officially a recruit with the Fourth Division, now. That's something to be celebrated, since it's the reason we all of us came here to begin with."

"Juushirou-kun isn't with us this morning," Hirata interjected softly, glancing around the table with concerned blue eyes. "Did anyone see him last night, after Edogawa-san left? I was with Sensei, so I didn't, but..."

"I saw him," Shunsui agreed grimly. "I never saw him look so shattered, to be honest, but he wanted to be alone. I thought it best to let him. He's still in his room, I expect. I can't imagine he'd be anywhere else...he just doesn't want any company right now."

"We are sure he's in his room, right?" Kai asked suspiciously. "We all know that Ukitake's got a penchant for following impulse whims and well, Edogawa's someone he's pretty hooked on. He couldn't have done something stupid and tried to go after her, right?"

"Ukitake?" Enishi looked blank. "You think he'd do that? Run after Edogawa like that, even though he's not a healer?"

"Ukitake is not that reckless," Ryuu put in coolly, sending Kai a dark glare. "Besides, if you had bothered to use your senses at all this morning, Shihouin, you'd know that Ukitake is indeed in the Nest. His reiatsu is clear as day for anyone taking the time to stop and check. It is likely as Kyouraku said - he wishes to be alone and we should let him."

"Ukitake and Edogawa were pretty close, weren't they?" Kanshi reflected pensively, resting his chin in his hands. "I'd picked up on it, in fits and starts...though he wouldn't admit they were seeing each other when I asked him about it the one time. Still, that's what it amounts to, isn't it? Poor Ukitake. In the end the girl chose duty over him."

"It's more complicated than that," Shunsui shook his head. "You're right in one way, though, Kanshi. Juu fell for Mitsuki hard, and he won't get over it in a day. It's not even like we have classes for him to bury his feelings in, either. The timing couldn't be worse - he's yet to hear what his future might hold, and in a day or two we graduate...without Mitsuki even being there."

"He'll get over it," Akira said gruffly, tapping his chopsticks against his bowl. "He ought to be worrying more about his future than about some girl. Edogawa's Clan, in any case. Ukitake isn't. It's better for both of them they end it here and now, before families get involved and things get messy. Puppy love is one thing, but imprudent affairs across social boundaries only cause pain."

"Juushirou wouldn't be here at all if not for one such affair, though," Sora pointed out heatedly. "You don't know anything about it, Yamamoto, so don't pretend you do!"

"Just because he has a Kuchiki heavyweight clanking around in his gene pool doesn't change the fact Ukitake is District," Akira said patiently. "The reality is as it is. He'll have to work damn hard to make any kind of impression without adding a fling with a Clan _hime_ to his repertoire. Clan elders take badly to that, and Clan fathers can be very protective of _hime._Brothers, too. Shiba, you ought to know about that...you have brothers in the Gotei, don't you?"

"Don't remind me," Sora glowered in the older boy's direction, and Shunsui winced, casting her a rueful grin.

"Sora-chan, you're not still mad at Hakubei, are you?"

"That's nothing to do with you," Sora turned her black look on him, and Shunsui held up his hands in mock-surrender. "This is a Shiba matter and you're not involved in it. Whatever he said to you, forget it."

"Woah, where did that come from?" Enishi blinked, staring at the Shiba hime in surprise. "Sora, why are you biting off Kyouraku's head? What did he do?"

"Nothing, yet," Sora said flatly, "and he'd do better to keep it that way. As for what you said," she added, wheeling on the unsuspecting Akira, "just because brothers and fathers think it's their duty to protect and shelter Clan _hime_doesn't mean we can't and won't make our own decisions about our futures or our lives. Men are so stupid when it comes to realising that women are just as smart and just as capable of doing things as they are. My mother would probably slit the throat of any man who tried to make her second best!"

"I guess that answers my question. Maybe Hakubei better not come to the graduation ceremony," Shunsui grimaced. "It might not give the right impression, Sora-chan, if the Tenth Division Captain got his throat ripped out in a public venue."

"I told you already to shut up," Sora snapped. "It's not up to you, either, you know. I'm not your Clan's _hime_either, and I'm not going to be passed around like some trophy or precious item needing your protection."

"I think we missed a few chapters of this story, somewhere," Kai put in wryly. "Sora, I don't know what's biting you, but could you stop biting Kyouraku so we can at least eat breakfast in a bit of peace? We know you're upset because of Edogawa, but whatever else has got your goat, don't take it out on all of us, all right? We can't help being guys, and nor can Kyouraku. Nobody is questioning your ability or your right to make decisions for yourself, so chill, all right? Cool down."

"Kai's correct," Ryuu nodded sagely, draining the remainder of his miso soup and setting the dish down on the table. "I miss Mitsuki too, and am grieved at her leaving us, but there is no sense in making such a display."

"It's not about Mitsuki," Sora muttered, and Naoko reached over to rest a hand on her friend's arm.

"It's all right," she said softly. "Let's change the subject, shall we?"

Sora met Naoko's gaze rebelliously for a moment, then she sighed, shrugging her shoulders in resignation, and Naoko nodded.

"Hirata, you said you were with Sensei last night," she said, turning curious greenish eyes on the youngest member of the group. "I thought I saw Misashi-sama, when I was looking for Ukitake-kun last evening. Is your father currently a guest of Sensei's?"

"Mm, sort of," Hirata pursed his lips, his expression becoming guarded. "He did come to speak to me, last night, and he's stayed the night."

"What's the why of that?" Akira demanded. "No offence to your people, Endou, but there's no formal alliance between the Yamamoto and Seventh District! Surely a Clan leader can't just waltz into District One without express clearance?"

"Sensei arranged for him to," Hirata said evenly. "He's staying, of course, for my graduation. Sensei said that, in those circumstances, it would be all right to let him come. He's here a few days early, that's all."

"But still!"

"It's all right, surely?" Shunsui looked surprised. "Misashi-sama isn't exactly spiritually trained, and most of the Council seem to hold him in some respect. He's been to District Eight a couple of times to meet with my brother, although there isn't a formal treaty in place there, either. I don't think he means any harm in District One, Akira. Your kin are probably fine while he's here."

"He's taking more risk, leaving Seventh unguarded," Hirata agreed with a sigh. "With everyone still looking for Eiraki and Keitarou, he's left Mother in charge and come here - but the Endou court are the worst when it comes to sexual discrimination and I don't know if they'd listen to her in a time of crisis. Mother isn't like my grandmother was, and she can't cow them into obedience with threats or violence."

"Let's hope there aren't any crises planned for the next two days, then, huh?" Kai said dryly. "My sister will also be coming here for the ceremony, don't forget, Akira. She's received special dispensation to come, too - I don't suppose it's that out of the ordinary when it comes to graduation at the Academy. District One belongs to the Yamamoto, but there's something quite neutral about being here."

"When it comes down to it, Retsu-sama is always here, and nobody minds," Naoko added. "The Unohana are neutral, so have no formal treaties with any other Clan."

"There's a first," Shunsui put in drolly. "Kai and Naoko-chan agreed on something."

"Shut up," Naoko sent him a withering look. "Nobody asked you to comment."

"Has there been any news on Eiraki, Hirata?" Ryuu cast the younger boy a quizzical glance, and Hirata shook his head, pale eyes darkening.

"None," he said wearily. "Father filled me in last night on the latest information, but there wasn't much. Nobody has seen anyone who meets Keitarou or Eiraki's descriptions anywhere in Seireitei nor, apparently, across Rukongai."

"They think he might be in Rukongai?" Sora's eyes widened. "Where Mitsuki's gone?"

"No, they think he's probably in the Real World, at the moment," Hirata said frankly. "There isn't the manpower to go hunt him down, there, so it's limited searching. The earthquake hasn't helped - people who were looking for Keitarou are now reaping souls and doing other reconnaissance work instead."

"I don't suppose Keitarou's science extends to causing Real World earthquakes, does it?" Shunsui asked, and Hirata shrugged.

"Who knows?" he asked bitterly. "Maybe. It does seem conveniently timed."

"He was a bloody mess, though, when you saw him, surely?" Enishi said sensibly. "He'd be too busy spending his time healing up his wounds - if he's even survived the battering Ukitake's gramps gave him."

"He's alive," Akira said blackly.

"What makes you so sure?" Aoi shot his friend a worried look. "Akira, you're not still thinking of going after him..?"

"When I'm ranked and in uniform, it will be my duty to cut him into little pieces," Akira responded bluntly. "Until then, I'm sure he's still alive. I can't avenge Suzuno if he isn't, so he'd damn well better be, wherever he's crawled away to hide."

"It would be better for everyone - including Suzuno's memory - if he was dead already," Naoko said frankly, in tones that told everyone listening she had had enough of the conversation. "Mitsuki might have gone to Rukongai, but there's one other person who should be graduating here with us and who isn't. She was a healer, Yamamoto-kun, not a helpless maiden whose death is a reason for you to practice reckless heroics. Suzuno was murdered and the place Aizen Keitarou should be is in the Council's cells awaiting their justice. That's the only true vengeance for Suzuno's death...nothing else will do."

"Naoko's right," Sora said gravely. "Let's not talk about her like this, huh? It's heavy enough today without Mitsuki here."

"Without Ukitake, too," Kai pointed out. "Do you think he'll pull himself together by the ceremony?"

"Doesn't Anideshi have to make a speech?" Ryuu asked, and Akira nodded.

"He does," he agreed evenly. "Ukitake'd better not let us down, since I don't want to be part of the Senior Class whose graduation was a joke. Too many important people will be there, and I won't stand for it - not on Yamamoto soil."

"Juu won't let us down," Shunsui said firmly. "He's shook up right now, but he's got a little time to get his head straight before we're all robed up and ready to receive our ranks. It'll be fine, Akira. You'll see."

His gaze rested briefly on Sora, a thoughtful expression touching his lips, then,

"Sora-chan, after breakfast, will you come for a walk with me, please? I'd like to talk to you about what happened yesterday, and even if you don't want to, I think it's something we need to do."

"I told you to stay out of it, didn't I?" Sora glared at him. "It's a Shiba matter. You're not a Shiba."

"No, I'm not, and that's why I want to talk to you," Shunsui said patiently. "Neither Tokutarou-nii nor Kyouki-sama will want you spitting fur at the ceremony, especially not when you've ranked so high and done your family so proud. Humour me and come hear me out, all right? I don't want to discuss it in front of everyone, but we can't leave it like this. Angry isn't an emotion that suits your particular beauty, and it would be a shame if you got all dressed up in your _shihakushou_only to ruin it with a Hollow-mask scowl."

"A Hollow-mask..." Despite herself, Sora was lost for words at this casual insult, and at her look of incredulation, Shunsui laughed, reaching across to pat her on the arm.

"So we'll talk, then, after?" he asked lightly. "It's settled?"

"I..."

"I think that would be a wise idea, Sora-chan," Naoko shot her friend a pointed look, and Sora sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Fine. Whatever," she said defeatedly. "We'll talk, Shunsui. I'll listen, though I can't imagine there's anything you want to say that I'd choose to hear."

"All very cryptic and doubtless highly interesting," Kai remarked, amused, and Shunsui shot him a sheepish glance.

"Really, you'd rather not ask," he said honestly. "This is something Sora and I need to settle by ourselves."

"Ukitake isn't with you all this morning?"

A fresh voice at Shunsui's right hand made the group of Seniors turn, meeting the troubled gaze of their Hohou sensei with surprise. "He didn't come down to breakfast with you all - that's unusual."

"Uebashi-sensei?" Ryuu offered the instructor a puzzled glance. "No, Ukitake has not yet risen. At least, so I presume - I have not spoken to him this morning."

"I think he awoke a little under the weather," Shunsui said gravely, resting his hands on the smooth wooden surface. "With the ceremony not so far away, I suppose he decided it was better to play safe."

"Is something up?" Kai added, and Uebashi paused, his gaze resting on Hirata for a moment. He shook his head slowly.

"No, I imagine not, though I trust the lad won't be in bad health for too long," he said reflectively. "Endou, when you've finished eating, Genryuusai-sama would like you in his study. He and your lord Father are already there, discussing various matters over breakfast, and he asked me to convey the message to you."

He pursed his lips.

"If you can rouse him, Ukitake is to join you," he added, in tones that sounded forcibly light. "If he is truly unwell, of course...but I'll leave it with you to explain. You doubtless know the circumstances better than I - and I'm sure the boy wouldn't be taking time out now and missing a meal without good reason."

"Ukitake's been summoned by Misashi-sama?" Kanshi blinked,and Uebashi's expression became troubled.

"Endou-kun, if you wouldn't mind," he said softly, then bowed his head slightly towards the young Clansman, turning on his heel and returning to the staff table.

"A message so particularly important that a junior student wasn't trusted to deliver it," Aoi reflected quietly. "More, Genryuusai-sama sent a kinsman to do the job. Houjou, do you know what this is about?"

"Not a clue," Enishi slurped the last of his tea, banging the mug down on the table as if to emphasise his point. "Though the Yamamoto aren't usually in the habit of keeping me in the loop - Akira, what about you?"

"If it involves Ukitake, I'm sure I don't know," Akira grunted. "Don't smash your mug around like that, Enishi. You'll shatter something and nobody wants to have you remembered as the ape who couldn't drink quietly at the breakfast table."

Enishi's eyes darkened for a moment, then he shrugged, sitting back in his seat.

"I'm sure Atsushi-dono will have plenty to say about my manners, without you pre-empting him," he said briskly, but there was an uncharacteristic edge to his tones. "Leave off with it and let me enjoy my end of term in peace and quiet, huh?"

"What is this, snap at everyone day?" Kai demanded, staring at Enishi incredulously. "First Sora at Kyouraku, now you...what's biting people? Is it really that stressful to think we're that close to graduation?"

"Atsushi-dono...? Minachi Atsushi?" Ryuu frowned. "I've heard of him. Has he made you a squad offer, then, Houjou?"

"Vice Captain," Enishi admitted, casting Akira a glance, then letting out a sigh. "I'm sorry. Akira, forget it, all right? I'm outta line. With Edogawa going, just makes it all a little more real."

"Wait, you've been offered _Vice Captain _of a division?" Naoko stared at him. "I did hear you correctly...didn't I?"

"You did. Mock it all you like," Enishi offered her a rueful grin. "You might as well, since it's your only chance. I'm pondering not accepting it - so you needn't worry, Shikibu. The world isn't as odd as you imagine it to be."

"Turn it down? Why on earth?" Akira's brow creased in consternation. "Even considering all the trouble that..."

"Atsushi-dono isn't a Captain who I want to work for," Enishi said matter-of-factly. "I don't want to let my family down, but when I think of it...I can't see how on earth it would work. I'm not you, Akira. I can't live up to all of his expectations."

"So you're giving up without trying?" Akira snorted. "What kind of attitude is that? Where's the shinigami who slashed open an assassin to save Kuchiki's life just a few months ago? What is wrong with you, Enishi? I don't understand you. Don't you realise that you won't get another offer like that - maybe not another one from the Clan at all, when it comes to it?"

"Isn't this the Vice Captaincy _you_turned down?" Kanshi asked lightly, and Akira waved his friend away with an impatient gesture.

"I'm a First Degree Yamamoto. Any question of me leaving the central squad is ridiculous," he said dismissively. "Enishi isn't in that position. If Atsushi-dono offered him the role..."

"For now, I haven't settled on what I'm doing, so it's not worth the discussion," Enishi responded. "Is someone going to go get Ukitake up? I'm finished, so I don't mind going. We'll probably have to drag him into his uniform, so it might take more than one of us."

"Uebashi asked Hirata to rouse him," Sora pointed out. "Shouldn't it be Hirata who does the dragging?"

"Physical strength is always an asset," Shunsui observed drolly. "I think Enishi's idea's the best one. I'd go myself, but I have a feeling I'm someone Juu doesn't want to face up to just yet. He knows I'll prod and pry and probably be as insensitive as they come in pulling the whole truth from him - it's far better if the two of you go."

"Kyouraku? Are you sure?" Enishi stared at his classmate in surprise, and Shunsui nodded.

"Go," he said lightly. "I already have a date with Sora-chan, so really, you'd be doing everyone a favour."

Enishi glanced at Hirata, who shrugged his shoulders.

"It might help to have two of us," he agreed. "Sensei won't want to be kept waiting, and nor will Father. If you don't mind, Houjou-kun, let's go now. We've still a little time before breakfast as a whole is over, and I think we'll need every moment we can get."

* * *

><p>"You know, sometimes I wish I was as clever at playing with words as Kyouraku is,"<p>

As Enishi and his companion made their way along the hallways towards the Senior annexe, the broad Yamamoto sighed, glancing down at his fingers and flexing them absently. "I know he suggested I come with you so that I was out of Akira's firing line - but there's no way I'd have been able to say it without saying it like he did. He made it sound like I was doing him a favour, when he's the one doing that for me."

"You're really not keen on this Atsushi-dono, are you?" Hirata eyed his friend with hawkish curiosity, and Enishi shook his head.

"He's a bully and I've never got along with him," he said honestly. "Father does, though, and there's the killer. Turning down something like this would be like smacking him in the face for his sending me here and letting me train. I've failed every other Clan test so far - part of me knows I can't fall at this hurdle. If I don't take what's offered, I won't have anything at all...that's the reality of this."

"And you'd be okay with that?" Hirata cocked his head on one side, pale eyes thoughtful. "If you gave up everything and had to struggle even to recruit somewhere?"

"If Ukitake can, I can," Enishi responded. "I admire him, you know. More than anyone, sometimes. It kills me that he might have to start right at the bottom without help or support, whilst some of the rest of us are being gifted positions without being half as talented. He isn't complaining about it, though. Even though he might have to spend his whole career trying to get a rank, he's still willing to go forth and do his best."

"Juushirou-kun won't spend his whole career doing that," Hirata said cryptically, taking the turn for the main senior corridor on which floor lay the Anideshi's sacrosanct 'Nest'. "He might prefer to, when given the choice, but he won't. He'll do what he's meant to do - because he'll understand why there's no other path he can take."

"Hirata?" Enishi paused, gazing at his companion uncertainly, and Hirata sighed, shaking his head as if to clear it.

"Later," he said briefly. "There isn't time now, and we have to convince him to get up and dressed for now. One thing at a time, all right? If Sensei and Father are both waiting, it won't do for Juushirou-kun to turn up too late."

"What about you? You can turn up late?" Enishi's eyes burned with curiosity. "Look here, kid, what's this about? You've been pretty quiet since last evening, now your Father wants Ukitake specifically, and Uebashi brought the message so it couldn't be mistaken. What's going on?"

"The Council have finally worked out what to do with Sensei's Distict shinigami," Hirata said evenly. "More than that I can't tell you - and don't have time to, in any case. It'll get us all into trouble if we stand here gossiping where anyone might hear us - so let's not, all right?"

He hurried on ahead before the tall boy could respond, knocking sharply on the door of Juushirou's chamber.

"Juushirou-kun, are you awake? It's Hirata," he called through. "I know you probably don't want to speak to us right now, but there's a message from Sensei. He wants you to come to his office with me as soon as possible and well, I think it's important that we go."

There was a pause, then both students heard a thud, and the sound of reluctant footsteps padding towards the door. There was the sound of the lock being pulled back, then the door slid aside, revealing their white-haired classmate. At the sight of him, Enishi let out an exclamation.

"You're dressed!"

"Is that so surprising?" Juushirou spoke quietly, his hazel eyes clouded as he stepped back to allow them entrance to his room. "Did you think I was sleeping in?"

"Shunsui-kun knocked on the way down to breakfast, but you didn't answer," Hirata explained, obediently stepping over the threshold and into the Nest proper. "We assumed you'd fallen asleep late and were still under, so let you alone. I guess...that wasn't the case?"

"As if I could sleep after last night," Juushirou murmured, a trace of bitterness lacing his words. "I felt the _Senkaimon_open and close, and after that...how would I sleep? It was all I could do not to dash out there and try to go after her - but there's nothing to be achieved by doing that. Lying here in the dark, I realised the only thing I could do for her was to do as she asked me and let her go...so I did, but the luxury of sleep...no."

He sighed, running his fingers through his lank white hair.

"A message from Sensei? What kind of message?"

"Whatever it is, it involves Misashi-sama, because the guy's here too," Enishi ruminated. "Hirata won't tell me why, he just says cryptic things that make no sense to me - but whatever it is, Uebashi was quite clear Sensei wanted to see the both of you right after breakfast. He seemed bothered that you weren't with us."

"Shunsui-kun told him you weren't feeling well," Hirata supplemented. "If you're up, though...will you come?"

"I'll come," Juushirou nodded his head. "Shunsui's not far wrong - I don't feel terrific - but moping in here won't do anything to help. I made up my mind last night, you guys. Mitsuki had her eyes on her goal and she had hope when we parted...I've got to find that, too. I don't know how, yet, or where it'll lead me, but by the time we meet again, I want to be able to say I've taken steps with my dreams, too. Maybe if I come see Sensei, I can ask the things I've been afraid to ask him. Even if it's not nice to hear, if I've got to go back to basics and start from scratch somewhere, then...well, I want to put my mind to that."

"The kid doesn't seem to think that's likely, but what he means by it is a mystery to me," Enishi admitted, and Hirata grimaced, shooting the older boy a dark look.

"Houjou-kun, I'm not a kid. I'm twenty now, and about to graduate the Academy with you - please try to remember that?"

"Sorry," Enishi shot him a sheepish smile. "No disrespect meant."

"Are you coming with us to Sensei?" Juushirou asked him quizzically, and the Yamamoto shook his head.

"Not invited, though I'll have to speak to him myself later, and talk out this Vice Captain issue with him properly," he reflected. "I'll walk with you so far as the office, though, then go and do some spar practice, maybe. I've no other plans pressing, and well, who knows how much longer we have in each other's company? You, me and Hirata, we were friends from the off, so it's only right we spend some time together, don't you think?"

"I suppose it is," a faint smile lit up Juushirou's sombre features. "All right, then. We'll go to Sensei together and find out what it is he has to say."

* * *

><p>"I don't know what the point of this is, Shunsui."<p>

Sora picked her way carefully between the first buds of the spring flowers that littered the grass, turning to shoot her companion with a challenging glance. "I know what Haku-nii asked of you, and he shouldn't have done it. It's humiliating - don't you see that? If you do, you'll drop this and let us go back to the others. Nao-chan's on her own right now, and..."

"Naoko doesn't need your protection, and you can't use her as a shield to hide behind," Shunsui cut across her frankly, reaching out to grab his classmate around the wrist before she could make good on her suggestion and return to the school building. "No, you're staying with me a while. What I said inside stands - Kyouki-sama wouldn't like you to behave like a little savage at our graduation, and if you think about it, you don't want that, either."

"What I want is for people to take me seriously," Sora glowered, wrenching her arm free from his grasp and putting her hands on her hips. "I worked damn hard to get such high grades on the final papers, you know. I studied like crazy and went over and over my notes till gone midnight the night before each exam. I wanted to prove to my family that I was good at this stuff without their help or protection - and what happens? Haku-nii descends on us with a bright idea about how best to handle me once Genryuusai-sensei lets us out into the Real World. Sometimes I think that Sensei is the only one who's ever really taken seriously my ambition to be a proper, full shinigami - and there's not a lot he can do for me once we graduate."

"That's uncharacteristically bitter for you, Sora-chan," Shunsui softened his tones, shaking his head. Sora snorted.

"You wouldn't know," she muttered. "You're not a girl. This world is biased against us from the moment we take our first breaths. We're there to be prettied, pampered and protected. Our main job is to further the Clan line by birthing children and improving diplomatic relations by marrying the right people when we're told to do so."

Shunsui laughed, slipping his arm into hers once more and leading her into the shade of the blossoming plum trees.

"You'd be surprised," he reflected, "but it's not that different for us guys, either. I know that probably you're right about the general view of women in Clan society, and I don't like Clan society, so I'm not going to try and defend it to you. It doesn't mean we guys get to do as we please, though. You know full well that I came here in the first place because Niisama gave me an ultimatum - sort out my wild ways and train as a shinigami or be forced into a stifling arranged marriage. Appearances, reputation, good connections...it doesn't matter whether we're male or female. It affects us both."

"Perhaps," Sora sighed, shrugging her shoulders. "It's still different, though. Okaa-sama went through a lot of strife proving her worth to the Clan and then to the Council. Nobody would question her now, of course, but that doesn't help me when my own elder brothers are constantly looking out for me. Ryuusei-nii is worst, you know that, but I didn't expect...I thought...Haku-nii at least..."

"Hakubei does understand, you know," Shunsui said pragmatically. "He didn't go about it in the right way, of course, but he didn't come to ask me to protect you. At least, I don't think he did. What he actually said was that he was looking for a solution to allow you to make your own choices. He didn't think you'd be able to do that in Fifth - and, quite frankly - he didn't want you in Tenth. He said it would mess up the chemistry if he had to find you rank and position because of your bloodline - something you'd both hate."

"That doesn't forgive him imposing his bright ideas on you," Sora muttered, kicking at the floor. "It's embarrassing, Shunsui! You're my friend - I hope, you've always been that. You drive me nuts, a lot of the time, but I trust you. You say I'm like your sister, because of Tokutarou-nii, and I feel like that too. Right now, therefore..."

"It's like you've been passed on to a third brother for shelter, instead of striking out for yourself?" Shunsui asked gently, and Sora nodded.

"Yes. That," she agreed, clenching her fists and pounding them up against the trunk of a nearby tree. "It's so annoying! I didn't come fourth in final ranking to be tossed about like this! Okay, maybe I chose to come here, like you, to escape the threat of marriage, but I like it! I'm good at it! I want to be a proper shinigami - what's wrong with that?"

"Hey, stop that. You'll make a bloody mess of your hands and people will think Sensei mangles his students before letting them graduate," Shunsui reproached, pulling her hands away from the gnarled wood before she could draw blood from her knuckles. "You've made your point - you're angry, and probably, with some justification. Let me remind you, though, that of all people, I probably understand best. I've been manipulated into accepting Eighth by my brother and my Clan - I haven't been allowed to strike out and choose for myself, either. We're not enemies in this. We're acting from the same point of view."

"Perhaps," Sora acknowledged, dropping heavily back against the maligned tree's trunk and folding her arms reluctantly across her chest. "Perhaps that is true, but..."

"You've forgotten the most important thing in all this, too," Shunsui continued, a slight, dry smile touching his lips. "You are a Shiba, and Hakubei and Ryuusei-dono are Shiba. I'm not."

"I don't see how that matters," Sora returned simply. "Clan is Clan, and the method is the same. Tokutarou-nii is a staunch ally of Mother's, he grew up with Haku-nii and Ryuusei-nii, so it's like it's an extension of the same thing."

"Do you really think so?" Shunsui arched an eyebrow. "Sora, do you really believe the Kyouraku are such a neutered, whipped force that all they do is agree to everything the Shiba tell them?"

"Shunsui?" Sora blinked at him, and Shunsui inclined his head.

"I'm not your brother," he said matter-of-factly. "You're not my Clan _hime_. I have no blood obligation to protect you - and nor do I have any intention of doing so. Not even if you asked me nicely."

"But..."

"You're not for me to protect," Shunsui reached across to tap Hotarue's hilt with his index finger. "This is what protects you. Not me, not anyone or anything else. You've proven that as far as I'm concerned. You defended Mitsuki with that sword, and saved Naoko's life with it, too. You're a shinigami, not a Clan _hime_, and I have absolutely no intention of treating you as anything else. Because I'm not a Shiba, Sora, I can do that."

"All right, maybe that's true," Sora acknowledged reluctantly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean a slight to the Kyouraku with what I said. It wasn't that. Just..."

"Just what?" Shunsui arched an eyebrow. "Are you listening to me? Hakubei asked me if I would take you into Eighth squad. He probably believes I'd accept because of the connections the two Clans have, but he's wrong. I've no intention of doing the Shiba any favours - not now, probably not ever. If I have to build a squad of my own, then I'll build it the way I want to build it. If I have to be Eighth's Captain and representative shinigami, then I get carte blanche to do as I please once the _haori_ is mine. Tokutarou-nii understands that - I think he partly expects it, since he knows I'm not one to follow orders blindly. The Shiba maybe haven't seen it yet - but just because our Clans are allied does not mean Eighth Squad will always vote with them. Fifth District already have that power over two Gotei squads. I don't intend on giving them a third."

"What are you trying to say?" Sora's eyes became big. "You wouldn't have me in your squad even if Haku-nii paid you?"

"Not quite," Shunsui grinned, resting a companionable hand on her shoulder. "What I'm saying is that I'm not taking on any Shiba favours. However, there are other elements of Hakubei's suggestion that, on reflection, I quite like. It might not be for the reasons he put it to me, and it might not be the way your Clan expect, but I'd like you to come to Eighth with me. It's up to you, of course. I'm not going to try and twist your arm or force you - if you're so offended by the bare idea, I won't take it to heart. I'm not asking you because I owe the Shiba anything. That's Nii-sama's province and duty, not mine. I'm asking you because you're my friend and, more, because you want a chance to prove what you can do without your Clan breathing down your neck."

"Are you sure?" Sora's green eyes became suspicious. "I know you, Shunsui. You don't always say what you mean, and Haku-nii can be very persuasive."

"Your brother worries about you, and thinks that if you come to me, it'll solve the problem of Ryuusei-dono wanting to keep tabs on you," Shunsui said frankly. "I understand his feelings, but I really am not the best person to ask for protection. I won't make false promises about what it will be like. I'm lazy, I'm likely to cause offence...and most of all, I don't intend on ignoring the things in Clan society I dislike. Juu's drummed into me hard enough that if you don't like something, you should change it. Maybe I don't have the impetus he does to drive into everything without thinking it through, but I do believe the best way to sort out the bad stuff is from the inside. Once I'm Captain, then that's what I intend to do. Starting with making it acceptable for District students to join Gotei squads, even if they're long since the province of Clan."

"Is Juushirou coming to Eighth too, then?" Sora asked curiously, and Shunsui shook his head.

"I haven't asked him," he said honestly. "Not officially. I don't think Sensei would allow it - he has a lot more pull than I do, and I don't want to wreck Juu's hopes and chances before they begin. It's not about Juu, anyway. It's about others - people like Kaoru-chan, who don't have someone in the shadows like Kinnya-sama to look out for them. I fully intend on recruiting Kaoru-chan when she graduates, because I like her and I see potential in her that surpasses a lot of Clan-born shinigami. I want her as part of my squad, so I'm going to make sure things are in place by the time she graduates to allow her the opportunity to choose. In order to do that...I need a Vice Captain who's positive about District talent. And...in that regard...I think you'd be a good choice."

"You're scheming..." Sora pressed her lips together. "This business with Aizen has upset you, hasn't it? I haven't known you talk so proactively in all the time I've known you, I don't think."

"It has," Shunsui admitted. "Kazoe and Nagoya both told me to stop protecting Juu because he's not the one who needs it. The other day, Akira laid into me about it, too. It's a harsh thing to hear, because he's important to me, but they're right. He doesn't need me to protect him and that'd only harm his abilities in the long run, not to mention his pride. There are a whole lot of helpless people, though, in Seireitei. Aizen experimented on hundreds of residents of District Seven whose only fault was to possess spirit power and fall foul of Shouichi-sama's laws. He killed people in District Eight, too, and I'm too close to that to look at it with any particular objectivity. There are people other than Juu who I want to protect, and I'll take the _haori_ to do that. It's not a Clan thing, really. It's a District thing. On those terms, Sora-chan, Hakubei's idea has real merits. Not for the reasons he put forward, necessarily, but for both of us to make a firm impact on Seireitei as a whole."

"Let me get this straight," Sora spoke slowly, her green eyes burning with excitement. "You're going rogue, and you're asking me to go rogue with you? Not act as Clan Captain and Clan Vice Captain, but simply as shinigami bent on ripping the corruption out of Soul Society once and for all? You want to face down your own Clan's prejudices and you want my help because..."

"Because nobody in District Eight would be strong enough to agree with me, yet," Shunsui said simply, "and I need a Vice Captain whose blood they'll respect, who at the same time will respect my stance on these things. Yes."

"And that's the only reason? You're really not acting for Haku-nii or Mother in this?"

"Sora-chan, if they knew how much of a thorn I'm probably going to be in the Gotei's side, I'm sure they would want you miles from my clutches," Shunsui chuckled. "Let them think that I've asked you out of loyalty to Hakubei, and you've accepted because I've talked you round. That is, providing you intend on accepting? There'll probably be a lot of frustration and trouble before we get anywhere. Your family might get mad with you. I might ask you to choose against your family in terms of Gotei decisions. Are you up for that?"

Sora was silent for a long time, then she sighed heavily. Before Shunsui knew what was going on, she had flung her arms around him, hugging him tightly.

"I'm up for it," she murmured. "I'm sorry I shouted at you. I should have realised - you're an idiot, but you understand things much better than anyone else."

"Careful. That was almost a compliment," Shunsui's eyes danced and he disentangled himself from her embrace, holding her at arm's length. "If you're happy with it, then, I'll send a message to Hakubei that I've talked you around. I don't know where it's going to lead us, but we both have things to prove and they don't have anything to do with being Clan. We're shinigami, and that's our primary focus. Let's leave family names behind and work on that, all right?"

"All right," Sora nodded, her eyes shining. "I'll write a letter home, too. I'll apologise to Haku-nii for flying off the handle, and say we discussed it and I realised it was the most prudent decision, accepting a role in Eighth. Once I'm officially accepted by the Council as your Vice Captain, loyalty to the squad will officially override loyalty to my Clan, and I'll finally be able to prove myself, won't I?"

"We'll do that together," Shunsui agreed. "If you can stand my company for a few more years - maybe decades - I can certainly try and give you the freedom you're looking for."

"It's settled, then," Sora nodded her head. "Whatever the future holds, I have no intention of ever being married off as a _hime_ from the Shiba Clan. I intend on choosing my own future and using Hotarue where and when I need to. Saving Naoko was out of desperation, but it worked. I realised then how strong Hotarue really is - and how strong I might be, if I'm allowed to continue forward. My family might not like that - Okaasama aside, and she won't be Head of the Clan forever. I have brothers who will inherit from her, and - no offence - but men have short memories when it comes to female achievement. I understand why Mitsuki went to Rukongai - she went for the same reason I'm trying to flee my family's shackles. As women, it's harder for us. But..even though you can be a flirt and a tease and a shameless drunkard at times, I think you understand."

"First lesson is going to be teaching you to respect your Captain - at least, in public," Shunsui drawled, amusement clear in his dark eyes, and Sora thwapped him playfully across the head.

"If you want that, choose another Vice Captain," she said lightly. "I come as I am."

"I guess I can live with that," Shunsui relented, shrugging his shoulders. "My only regret is that it was Hakubei who poked this idea into my mind. I should have come by it on my own, but I've been too worried about Juu to focus on my own concerns. It's a bad habit of mine."

"Worrying about friends isn't a bad habit," Sora shook her head. "I'm worried about Mi-chan...Naoko too. I don't know what's going to happen with her now. She can't go home, obviously, and..."

"Something will," Shunsui said wisely. "I know what you're going to suggest, and I thought of it myself, but I decided against. There's no way in the world that Naoko would accept me as her leader. More, she'd know that I was asking her out of sympathy or pity. It would make it an impossible working relationship, and my Clan would probably make her feel her exile at every possible chance. She's a strong woman, but she's been through a lot. It's not for me to make her suffer more."

"No...I suppose you're right," Sora looked pensive. "Just like you can't take on Juushirou, Naoko would be the same, wouldn't she? She's cut herself off from the Unohana and she refuses to let Unohana-taichou get involved in finding her a placement. I just...wonder what she's going to do."

"Sensei won't forget about her," Shunsui said with certainty. "He's trained us all too well and too hard. If he's got something in mind for Juu - and from what Hakubei said to me, that was discussed at the Council, though he had no details - he'll find something for Naoko, too."

"I suppose so," Sora agreed reluctantly. "I just find it hard. I've already lost my best friend, although I'm happy for her, and..."

"I don't think you've lost Mitsuki," Shunsui assured her. "I think she's the kind of healer who'll go from strength to strength and then come back here with stories to tell."

"Do you think Juushirou will get over it?"

"Yes...he'll have to, so he will." Shunsui nodded. "You did, when Niisama married. I did, when Saku left. It's the only thing to do, so we do."

"True," Sora grimaced. "Shunsui?"

"Mm?"

"What did you mean, when you said there were people other than Juushirou you wanted to protect? Just the people of Eighth, or...? It sounded like something else."

"That was perceptive," Shunsui looked rueful. "All right, I'll tell you. Juu's the only other person who knows, but since you're coming with me, probably you'll meet, and it might be better to give you the surprise now. She's very proud...it might offend her if you simply gaped at her in disbelief on first acquaintance."

"Her?" Sora's eyes almost bugged out of her head. "Shunsui, do you have a...is there...are you seeing someone in District Eight in secret?"

"No! No, nothing like that," Shunsui chuckled at his companion's expression. "I've learned that lesson and probably, I still care too much about Saku to move on seriously in that regard. No. But it does have something to do with what I said to you - about not protecting you as a sister."

"Go on?" Sora looked bewildered, and Shunsui took her by the arm, leading her slowly back towards the school.

"Tokutarou-nii won't mention it, and you shouldn't talk to him about it, if you can help it," he said evenly, "but whilst Aizen was in District Eight, he crossed paths with someone who's become important to me to keep safe. It turns out that my father's drunken romps away from home weren't entirely without fruit...and I have a sister."

"A sister?" Sora stopped dead, almost pulling her companion over with the suddenness of her halt, and Shunsui stumbled, only just managing to regain his balance.

"Watch it," he warned with a grin, "yes. Her name is Riri - at least, that's how she calls herself - and she lives not far from the main house. I came across her because Aizen killed one of her friends and tried to kill her - thankfully, he failed, and so I was able to meet her. She hasn't much time for Clan, either - being that Father pretty much died and abandoned her - and, in all likelihood, all I can ever give her is protection, because it might be too late for anything else. Still, I was...happy, I think, to find her. It doesn't bother me that she was from one of his affairs. She's my sister - I never had a sister - and my little sister, too. That means something...somewhere inside of me."

"You have a sister," Sora murmured, her green eyes incredulous. "It's not that surprising, when you think about Matsuhara-sama...but...the reality of it..."

"Yes," Shunsui agreed. "Tokutarou-nii can't...and won't...acknowledge her, because he fears what the Clan might do about it. Riri's lived a hard life and worked as a courtesan for some time. She's raising the children of a friend of hers who died, and it seems she's befriended Juu's sister Chihiro, which is largely how we came to meet. Nii-sama has Clan obligations in this regard, but I don't. I have familial ones, so I'll do what I can for her and for the little ones."

"I see," Sora looked uncharacteristically thoughtful. "That's just like you, and I won't tell anyone. I'd like to meet her, though. Tokutarou-nii's real sister."

"Then you will," Shunsui promised. "If it's you, I'm pretty sure you won't upset each other. When I go home, I intend on checking in on her and the little ones. I know they passed the winter all right, since Chihiro wrote to Juu and passed on a message for me from Riri with her letter - but I'd like to see for myself. The young girl she's raising has a considerable level of spirit power, and, well, Hollows are everywhere these days."

"So you'll take the sword and defend them as a shinigami should," Sora observed. "You sound almost noble - that's a worrying thought."

"Don't worry, I'm sure I'll break the illusion soon enough," Shunsui said honestly. "Katen Kyoukotsu is far from being all sweetness and light."

"If this Riri is anything like you, I'm sure she can handle it and a lot more besides," Sora said acerbically. "She survived Aizen's attempts to kill her, which speaks volumes for the genes she must have inherited from Matsuhara-sama. Does she...is she spiritually strong too?"

"She has it, but not like that," Shunsui shook her head. "It's the little one who's more concerning. Right now, she's only four or five, so it doesn't matter, but..."

"You think she'll be a shinigami, one day?"

"I'm rather hoping Riri will let me guide her that way," Shunsui admitted. "During winter break I spent a day or two with them, mostly playing with the young ones while Chi helped Riri with her writing and sewing, and it's hard not to notice it. Shizuka will have to either be a shinigami or will have to be very well looked after as she gets older. She's going to be a magnet for Hollow attacks otherwise, and she already lost her mother. I don't want her to lose her foster mother and her brother too."

"You really have gone soft over them," Sora laughed, giving him a playful nudge. "Who'd have thought you'd get so fussy over adopted kinsfolk? You're never like this with Haru-kun, are you?"

"It's different, somehow," Shunsui said thoughtfully. "I can't explain it, not really. Perhaps it's because there are a lot of people looking out for Haru...fond as I am of him, he doesn't need me to protect him. Over the winter, bringing food and other things to the house, I felt as though I was making a difference in their lives. It's probably self-serving and narcissistic, but I kind of liked it."

"Sounds like a good basis for a shinigami Captain, especially one who cares about the Districts," Sora assured him. "I wouldn't worry about it too much. It just proves what you said to me about protecting the ones who need it most of all. Maybe, with my help, you'll be a good Captain."

"With your help?" Shunsui raised an eyebrow, and Sora dimpled, nodding her head.

"You'll need my help," she decided firmly. "Between the two of us, we'll put District Eight to rights!"

* * *

><p>"You sent for us, Sensei?"<p>

Hirata slid back the door of the central office, bowing his head automatically towards his school principal as he entered the room. Behind him, Juushirou stepped cautiously across the divide, following his friend's example before turning to push the wooden door back into its closed position.

For a moment, Genryuusai glanced between them, taking in their expressions and their auras with one fleeting glance. Hirata's was calm, he reflected, accepting, perhaps resigned to the job he had been assigned to do. Though the night before he had reacted with some dismay to his father's suggestions, it seemed that the night had given him time and opportunity to consider all the aspects of the offer, and with a little nod of satisfaction, the old man decided that calling the young Endou to his study the previous day had been the right choice. In contrast, Juushirou's aura was unsettled and uncertain, and Genryuusai knew that it might come to needing Hirata's persuasion as well as his own to accept the terms the Council of Elders had laid down.

He beckoned them forward, indicating for them both to settle themselves before his desk and they did so, Hirata immediately and Juushirou after a moment of hesitation. He folded his fingers in his lap, twisting his pale digits together without seeming to realise he was doing it, and Genryuusai's lips thinned beneath the heavy white moustache. At a glance, he seemed perfectly composed, but Genryuusai had taught enough young people to know when a student was in flux. Mitsuki's departure the night before had hit Juushirou hard.  
><em><br>I'm gambling on the fact that your will to follow your ambitions and dreams is as strong as Edogawa Mitsuki's has proven to be. I don't get involved in the personal dramas of my students - but in this case, I can't pretend I'm not glad that you've chosen to continue apart. Seireitei needs more than lovesick young fools throwing themselves into danger for the sake of a few softly whispered words. Far better to look to the long term ideal and the future you've worked so hard to obtain. It's right in front of you now, Juushirou. All that remains is for you to take it...if you have the courage to do so.  
><em>  
>"I did," he said now, resting his hands on his desk. "Hirata already has some idea of what this is regarding, but Juushirou, I trust you have none?"<p>

"No, sir. Nothing at all," Juushirou looked startled, then reddened, shaking his head. "Am I in some kind of trouble? Enishi said Misashi-sama had also come here, but..."

"I have, yes," Misashi pushed back the door of the study's rear alcove, making the white haired student visibly jump at his sudden entrance. "My apologies, Ukitake. I didn't mean to startle you. I was just seeing to the clearing away of the breakfast paraphernalia - you came quickly."

"You were...clearing away plates?" Juushirou blinked, and Genryuusai smiled, amusement in his dark eyes.

"A Clan leader can't do such a thing?" he asked lightly, a faintly teasing note in his words, and Juushirou's red cheeks grew redder.

"I didn't mean..." he trailed off, uncertain of what to say, and Misashi laughed, coming to take his place on one of the wide cushions near the old man's desk.

"I suppose it's not something you'd see some of the others doing," he acknowledged, "but when I am a guest in another District, I like to do what I can. The Endou have a long long way to go before they deserve to call themselves at the same level as some of their fellows...and I am still very aware of the favours I owe to the kindness of those neighbours. It is a little thing, but small kindnesses become bigger ones, once trust is forged - don't you think so?"

"I suppose that's true," Juushirou agreed, his expression slightly discomfitted, and Genryuusai nodded.

"Misashi-dono asked very specifically to be allowed to speak to you this morning," he rumbled, "but the matter that brings him here before Hirata's graduation is a Council affair decided and agreed by the eight representatives of all Clans. This is, therefore, the will of Inner Seireitei. You may view Misashi-dono as the messenger...but what he has to say to you has my full endorsement, also."

"You came to see...me?" Juushirou's eyes widened. "But...what about Hirata? Why is...I don't...what...?"

"You're becoming incoherent," Genryuusai scolded lightly. "Perhaps you didn't get enough sleep last night? Your manners seem to have scattered themselves - I suggest you gather them before we speak further."

"I'm sorry," Juushirou lowered his gaze. "It's true, I didn't sleep very well last night. I didn't mean any rudeness, Misashi-sama. If you want to speak to me, then...then I would be honoured to hear what you had to say. I...I didn't mean to imply otherwise."

"Then it is well," Misashi's eyes softened, then, "Genryuusai-sama, with your permission, I should like to take a walk with your District student. I had intended on discussing this with him here...but I think, perhaps...it might be better if we spoke alone, just the two of us."

"I have no objection," Genryuusai shook his head. "Hirata and I will wait here for you, if that's what you prefer."

"Thank you," Misashi bowed his head. "Well, Ukitake? Will you accompany me?"

"I...yes, sir," Juushirou scrambled to his feet, eying his friend's father uncertainly, and Genryuusai gestured towards the door.

"Go," he said softly. "What's said and what's decided is entirely with you, my boy...think carefully and choose wisely. I want this to be your will, not mine - so perhaps it is best this way."

Misashi got up, moving to pull back the sliding door.

"We have a little time," he said pensively. "Time enough, I hope, to bring this matter to a head."

"Will they be all right, like that?" Once alone, Hirata raised his voice, casting a doubtful glance towards the door. "You said you'd speak to him when we were both there, Sensei, and now..."

"I know, and I'm sorry," Genryuusai sighed, shaking his head as if to clear it. "This has to be something for Juushirou to assess by himself, though, Hirata. I can't protect him forever."

"I know that," Hirata was silent for a moment, then, "Sensei, last night..."

"Edogawa Mitsuki left the Academy for Fourth Division," Genryuusai nodded, and Hirata's eyes widened behind his glasses.

"You...realised?"

"It's not hard, when Juushirou wears his heart on his sleeve," Genryuusai agreed. "It's a hard lesson, and doubtless, one he'll take time to overcome. This morning, I can tell, he's not himself. That's why I decided to let your father take him and talk to him away from here. I know how you feel, and I know how I hope things will proceed - but for Juushirou's sake, he deserves the chance to hear the good and the bad. Misashi-dono is a very fair minded man. He won't try and make it sound better or worse than it will be."

"Mm," Hirata chewed on his lip. "I hope..."

He faltered, falling silent, and Genryuusai smiled, understanding the words left unspoken.

"I, too," he murmured. "But it's up to Juushirou now."

* * *

><p>The path that led towards the local town was quiet of District residents that morning, and the sky, though patchy with cloud, was clear and bright, illuminating the few brave flowers that had chosen to bloom early, adding splashes of colours to the green that surrounded the Academy's grounds. As he walked, Juushirou gazed around him, confusion in his hazel eyes as he absorbed his surroundings.<p>

He had been all the more bewildered when, on reaching the main doors of the school building, Misashi had suggested they leave campus altogether, taking the short walk towards the local town where Juushirou and his friends had spent so many moments over the past five years. Without really understanding, Juushirou had agreed, and they had walked so far in silence, the only sounds the song of the birds as they called to one another through the branches of the trees. They were probably seeking mates, Juushirou reflected bitterly, his thoughts flitting once more to the tearful goodbye of the night before.  
><em><br>Lucky for them. They don't have things like Clan and District weighing them down. It must be nice to be a bird. You can just fly away when the weight of the world gets too heavy to bear._

"It's been a long time since I've had the opportunity to do something like this," Misashi's words cut through his morose thoughts, making him redden slightly as he realised he had been all but ignoring his important companion. "Putting District Seven back to rights has been my priority, and it's a job without a clear finish line...but even though I've gone out and about as much as possible, I've not seen this kind of tranquility, not yet. I hope, one day, it will be possible for people to walk like this and just appreciate the way Nature made the world - it makes me both hopeful and envious for my homeland, when I see how beautiful Genryuusai-sensei's District is."

"Misashi-sama, why did you ask me to come out with you like this?" Juushirou summoned his courage, casting his companion a quizzical glance. "I don't understand. We've never...I mean, the times we've spoken before..."

"I've been asking favours of you, too," Misashi nodded apologetically, a rueful smile touching his lips. "I know, it's a shameful habit of mine. Bowing my head and begging for help seems to have become a talent, and it rubs raw against my Endou pride...but such things have to be done, Ukitake. You understood, those times, didn't you? Hirata has trusted you every step of the way, and I believe his judgement to have been right."

"Hirata is my friend," Juushirou said simply. "That doesn't change, no matter what family he comes from."

"Yes," Misashi agreed. "That...is the exact reason you've been such a good ally for him. You saw him, I think, when nobody else bothered to look. I know how difficult he found those first weeks, because he's told me. Without your friendship, I don't know if he would've blossomed into the shinigami I take so much pride in having, now. I'm eternally grateful for all of it, Ukitake. Eternally so."

"You don't need to be," Juushirou frowned. "If you just came to say that, then...then I really...I don't see that I've done anything very important. Friends help friends. I'd do the same for any of the people I care for, and I know they would for me. That's what friendship is. I don't mean to be rude, Misashi-sama, but I don't understand why you'd feel the need to take me aside like this, and..."

"I haven't come simply to talk about Hirata," Misashi let out a low chuckle, though Juushirou could see the apprehension deep in his companion's pale eyes. "I'm sorry. You must have the strangest impression of my family and my people, mustn't you?"

He stretched his arms over his head, exhaling slowly.

"You saved my daughter's life, only to have her turn on you and your trust in the worst way," he said regretfully. "You must think that a kindness wasted."

"I don't," Juushirou shook his head. "And even if I did, it's not...Misashi-sama's fault. Eiraki-hime did what she felt she needed to do, and that was all. I don't hate her. Keitarou is a very persuasive person, and there's no doubt in my mind that, if she hadn't met him, Eiraki-hime would never have done the things she's done."

"True," Misashi's eyes darkened for the briefest instant, and Juushirou saw the faintest glimmer of hatred deep in those pale blue eyes. "Hirata wants to find her, and Aizen, too. You know that, I think?"

"He hasn't said it, but it wouldn't surprise me," Juushirou admitted. "Is that what this is about? Do you want me to talk to him, and try to stop him? I don't really think that I...I'm not sure I can. What happened to Eiraki-hime probably isn't something he can ever forgive Keitarou for, and...if it was one of my siblings, I'm sure I would never stop looking. I wouldn't give up...I'm pretty sure he still cares about Eiraki-hime, and I can't change that."

"We all do, Juushirou. We all do," Misashi sighed heavily, "and I don't expect you to turn Hirata's thoughts from vengeance or any other such thing. I came here, as Genryuusai said, as messenger and spokesperson for the Council of Elders. Just, this is my wish, too. No, my hope. My one real hope for my son and my District as time goes on. You have to understand how important both of those things are to me. Hirata is...is a very powerful young man, but with that power comes great danger. When he graduates, there will be calls for him to be inaugurated as Head of the Clan. The agreement the Council and I made was that when Seventh Division is reactivated, Hirata would receive both the_ haori _and the leadership of the family. There are seven years or so left remaining before that happens...but in the meantime, I worry about my son and what he might do."

"You think he might run away from his responsibilities?" Juushirou stared, and Misashi shook his head.

"No, he won't. He won't do that," he said with certainty. "I'm not afraid he'll flee, but rather, I'm worried what those seven years will do to him and to his power if I allow him to have his head and go roaming in search of Aizen. It's what he wants...last night, we argued about it, and I made him tell me in no uncertain terms how he felt about Eiraki. I saw...hate in his eyes. Maybe what I really saw was his hawk...the hunter awoken when I mentioned his desired prey. I want my son to be powerful, but not a danger to himself and to the District. It's all too fragile."

"Hirata isn't that kind of person!" Juushirou objected, and Misashi shrugged his shoulders.

"You don't see that, because you bring out a different side of him," he said wearily. "I can't explain it, but I know it's true, and so does Genryuusai-sama. Your influence over Hirata probably made the difference between him being able to kill his sister when they met in the forest and not. I value that hesitation, because it proves he's getting control over his hunting instincts - but it's too soon to trust them to his own care just yet. He'll graduate...of course he will...but with Seventh on hiatus, I have concerns."

"I see," Juushirou's brows furrowed together as he reasoned this out for himself. "You think he might cross a line, and not be able to cross back?"

"You knew Seimaru," Misashi intoned quietly. "My brother made his son that way, without a doubt, but so did Yojinmozu's shrike spirit. Seimaru's twisted evil came in the form of his Endou spirit power. Hirata's is no less vicious...it just remains to be seen whether he can master it himself, or whether it will master him. That, Ukitake, is where you have come in...and it's a relationship I'd like to perpetuate as long as I can."

"But we graduate in a couple of days," Juushirou objected. "I don't want bad things to happen with Hirata, either, but I don't really see...I mean, I'm from District Six, and from the far side of it, for that matter."

Misashi pressed his lips together, and for a while he did not speak. They entered the town, and the Clan leader paused to watch a couple of children playing in the dirt at the side of the street, shrieks of laughter penetrating the atmosphere as they tossed stones into a haphazard circle drawn with a finger in the mud. Among the group of five or six barefooted ragamuffins were two alike enough to be brother and sister, and with a jolt, Juushirou realised that his companion was thinking of his own children as he watched the young ones play.

"You have family, don't you?" the Clan leader asked now, and Juushirou nodded his head. "How many siblings was it? Several, I know...Hirata's spoken of it to me from time to time."

"Seven. I'm the oldest," Juushirou watched as a diminuitive scrap of six or seven years old darted into the centre of his elders, letting out a whoop of triumph as he managed to pass his stone right into the centre of the circle. "My one sister is married, but otherwise, they're all still in District Six."

"You love them?"

"Of course," Juushirou pursed his lips. "They're my family. They mean everything to me."

"Yes. Yes, so I can imagine," Misashi's eyes became sad, and Juushirou wondered what the older man was thinking. "Family is meant to be that way, isn't it?"

"Misashi-sama?"

"I had one brother," Misashi turned away from the children, fixing Juushirou with a bittersweet expression. "We were never close. Probably, it would be fairer to say that he'd have killed me if he could, but he never managed to best me, and then he lost his life in another foolish clash of power. He was a violent, sadistic madman, who took distinct pleasure in mutilating his prey beyond death so they became unrecognisable as human. I learned, then, that the Endou's spirit power had the capacity to drive an individual mad. Mibune-nii was strong. He had potential beyond Seimaru's, but a weak mind. His spirit broke him, and Seimaru became damaged by association. I did what I could to shield my own family from that insanity, Ukitake. I took them away from the main house, and I taught both my children kidou to protect themselves from Seimaru's violent bullying. Still, somewhere I failed. My daughter has become a killer, as so many Endou do. The possibility for Hirata..."

He trailed off, and despite himself, fear gripped Juushirou's heart.

"I really can't imagine Hirata like that," he whispered. "Misashi-sama, you should have faith in him. Hirata's someone I trust in. He's kind. He's not violent. He's..."

"An Endou, and you know it just as I do," Misashi offered a smile. "I drove him to become a full Endou, and raise his sword. Now I want to make sure that I don't drive him to destruction because of it. The family needed him to outfight Seimaru, and he has. He's now more powerful a shinigami than Seimaru ever was, and I'm proud of it. One day he will be a Captain. One day. Only..."

He shook his head as if to clear it.

"I'm sorry," he said, seemingly embarrassed. "I shouldn't be piling so much on your shoulders. I don't want to unfairly influence you...but now, alone here with you like this, I see it more than ever. You're the one hope my son has...and therefore my family and my District has...for the future. I don't want to let the chance slip away."

"I don't understand," Juushirou looked confused, and Misashi took him gently by the arm, steering him through the busy crowds of the main street and onto a quieter side alley.

"Too many people," he explained, as the white haired boy stared at him. "I'm not robed in full Endou finery, but it doesn't hurt not to stand out too much in a strange land. I know that Seimaru came here, and I'm aware that a girl from this town was killed by his hand, albeit not in the centre itself. I'd rather they didn't make the connection between one red and brown robed man and another, if it's all the same to you."

"Megumi's death seems a lifetime ago, now. So much has changed," Juushirou reflected, and Misashi nodded.

"For all of us," he said with feeling. "All right, this seems quiet enough. Take a seat, if you like..this wall seems sturdy enough in the middle, even though it's crumbling a little at the ends."

"Will you tell me the reason you brought me here?" Juushirou asked hesitantly. "I've worked out it has to do with Hirata, but if it's to do with the Council too..."

"Genryuusai-sama put a suggestion to the Council of Elders a few days ago, which was heavily discussed before being passed," As Juushirou sank down onto the brick boundary of an abandoned house, Misashi leaned up against the wall of the house itself, his expression becoming thoughtful as he debated how best to approach the issue. "It related to you, and your future beyond the Academy."

"My...future? The Council had a meeting about me?" Juushirou was taken aback, and Misashi nodded.

"You took everyone by storm," he agreed. "It seems the Clans passed the District student law without appreciating how soon Genryuusai-sama might produce a true shinigami of talent from Lower Seireitei. I don't suppose it was a surprise to him, though. It appears that, from the very start, you've been his project. He's had an idea brewing...probably from before he even met you. All he needed to do was find the one he could rely on to fulfil that objective. You were his chosen student...though that hasn't meant he's gone easily on you. From what I've heard, it's the opposite. He's believed in you, and so pushed you as hard as he could to meet his goals."

"People have said that," Juushirou acknowledged. "He came to my house and spoke to me quite particularly, as though I was someone he was interested in training, as opposed to just another prospective student. I didn't realise it was like this, though. I never thought the Council would meet to decide what to do with me when I finished."

"It was more whether or not Genryuusai-sama could get through his proposal this time, with his first try," Misashi reflected pensively. "I don't mean to speak of you as a tool or like livestock being herded into a particular place, but I want you to understand that Genryuusai-sama hasn't left anything to chance. You know, I think, that he obtained signatures from Lord Kinnya of the Kuchiki to back your cause?"

"Yes," Juushirou's lip curled slightly. "I'm not very happy that that happened, but I didn't have a say in it. I didn't want to become a shinigami because someone in a Clan signed papers and gave over money. It's not why I'm doing this, and so I wish Ojiisama hadn't got involved."

"Did he tell you that that's what he signed?" Misashi looked genuinely surprised, and Juushirou frowned.

"Yes," he agreed. "Wasn't it?"

"I suppose that could be considered implicit," Misashi pondered, "but the document that Genryuusai-sama put before the Council was a different kind of endorsement. The reason he desired Kinnya-sama's support wasn't to make you a Gotei-accepted Shinigami, not as such. He needed it because he had different ambitions for you - and whilst he might have slipped you through the net to recruit in a squad somewhere without that kind of endorsement, the level he's been thinking at...it required...something or someone powerful to act as your sponsor."

"I don't understand," Juushirou whispered. "Misashi-sama, what has Sensei done? What has he involved Ojiisama in? What...about me?"

"Genryuusai-sama was the one who began the Gotei squad system. You know that, don't you?" Misashi asked, and slowly, Juushirou nodded.

"Yes, I knew that it was his idea."

"A few years ago, he also created four other divisions whose Captains were Clan, but without a Council vote," Misashi added. "You know that, too?"

"Yes. Hakubei-dono and the rest?"

"I believe that's right," Misashi confirmed. "I've not had the pleasure of meeting Shiba Hakubei-dono, not in person, but I have heard his name in certain circles. There were intended twelve squads, in any case, though there are only Eight Clans. Of course, reality has been different. Eighth Squad has never taken form, because Tokutarou-sama isn't of that level as a shinigami, and his young brother will take that on in the next few months. And, in Seventh, there is currently an interdict. The Gotei has ten active squads at the moment, with Eighth about to join. All of these squads are Clan run, therefore the Council passed the concept without much controversy. What that doesn't resolve, though, is what to do with the District students now flowing through the Academy."

"I thought they were going to change the law to allow District students to recruit?" Juushirou pointed out, and Misashi nodded.

"It will be changed, but it's proving complicated to work out the paperwork," he agreed. "There's a glitch in getting all of the Clans to agree the terms under which someone would qualify to enter their squad, and well, we want a uniform ruling to avoid future complications. Nagesu-sama is still concerned about offshoots from the rebel Urahara infiltrating Clan squads and doing them harm, and with Aizen's location unknown..."

"I see," Juushirou's lips thinned. "Keitarou's existence means he could force a District army through the system to act against the Clans?"

"In theory, we want to avoid that kind of loophole," Misashi responded. "Guren-sama's recent experiences are proof enough that Aizen must not be underestimated, nor others who might have thoughts like his."

"So what happens to us in the meantime?" Juushirou questioned. "What of the District shinigami, if we don't have a place in the Clan squads?"

"The current laws apply to the divisions one through twelve," Misashi fixed Juushirou with a thoughtful look. "Genryuusai-sama, therefore, suggested a different angle of approach. He intends on setting up a new division...one which isn't tied by the Clan rules, one which District students can recruit to without needing to face the Clans. In the long run, he hopes for integrated squads...but for the time being, he feels that the District shinigami should have their own path into the Gotei. And, of course, those District shinigami will need a reliable, responsible Captain - one whose loyalty to the Couincil and to justice is unquestionable, but also one who understands the Districts well enough not to alienate common born members. In short, they need you."

_"What?"_

Juushirou almost fell off the wall, gripping the aging stone tightly between white fingers and staring at Misashi in dismay. "Wait...Misashi-sama, what are you saying..?"

He trailed off, and Misashi slipped his fingers into his wide red _obi_, pulling out a folded sheet of parchment which he handed to his companion. With shaking hands, Juushirou took it, unfolding it and staring blankly at the black characters that wove like spiders across the page. At first he could not make sense of the words, then, little by little, their meaning began to sink in.

"But this is..."

"Midori-sama gave it to me to show to you, so that you'd know this was the will of the Council, and that you had their approval to accept the _haori _of the Thirteenth Division," Misashi spoke gravely. "I know it's a shock - I can see it in your eyes that you didn't expect anything like this. The truth is, though, that Genryuusai-sama has intended this for you for a long time. He's trained you with this in mind...he believes in you."

"I...I can't be a Captain," Juushirou wet his lips, swallowing hard. "I'm just...from District Six. I'm not...I'm only twenty two. I don't know how...or who...and I'm the only one. There's only me...there aren't any other District shinigami, not yet. I can't..."

"You might be interested to know the way in which the current Council views you," Misashi said levelly. "From having suspicion towards the capabilities and intentions of District people, almost all of the Clans have shifted themselves in your favour. The Kuchiki, whose vote on District training remains an abstention, voted in favour of this because _you_were the candidate Genryuusai-sama named. It seems you've won the respect of most of the powers that be in Inner Seireitei."

"I only wanted to be able to protect my family," Juushirou spoke unsteadily, folding the paper between his fingers as though by doing so he could bring reason and order to his thoughts. "Misashi-sama, even if the Council says such things..."

"The decision is yours. Not theirs, not Genryuusai-sama's, not anyone else's," Misashi spoke gently now. "I wanted to speak to you alone like this, so that you could say how you really felt. I've told you my feelings, and I trust you to be honest with yours. It's a big responsibility, I know...and you'd have found it hard to turn down in front of your teacher, who's fought for this for a very long time. He knows it too, though - only you can accept this. You must choose to attend the Council and be awarded with the _haori _and duty of Thirteenth Division. We can't force you to do so."

"I can't take it in," Juushirou admitted. "It seems so crazy. Ridiculous. How can I be a Captain without a squad? And even if the Clans accept me in the Council, it doesn't mean..."

"Thirteenth Squad will have another duty, if you are willing to accept the post," Misashi admitted. "It might put you off the idea completely, but I hope...I hope it won't. The truth is, well, I saw this as a solution to a problem of mine as soon as Genryuusai-sama started talking about it. I requested quite specifically that Thirteenth Division be given placement within Seventh District."

"I'm confused," Juushirou buried his head in his hands. "I'm supposed to be a one man squad, and now in Seventh, where they hate District people more than anywhere else?"

"For that reason," Misashi strode forward, resting his hands on Juushirou's shoulders, and despite himself, the District boy raised clouded hazel eyes to his companion. "Hirata is not allowed to hold shinigami office until the interdict is over. Nobody in Seventh is. No member of the Endou Clan can be in a position of that responsibility until the ban is ended. Even so, though, there are ten, maybe twelve surviving shinigami from my family who require discipline and education in what it means to be part of a Gotei division. I can't teach them. Aside from lacking any form of _zanpakutou_, I'm an Endou, and I'm not allowed to venture into that realm. They need to be trained, else when the interdict is lifted, chaos will ensue. It might put Hirata in danger, too...no, they need to learn and they need to do so now, whilst they can't aspire to positions of power."

"Then..." Juushirou blinked, and Misashi smiled.

"I suggested that Thirteenth Squad might be deployed in Seventh District, its membership comprised of my lazy, disrespectful kinsfolk," he admitted, a sheepish look in his pale gaze. "You'd have Hirata too, of course. He can't hold officer rank, but Genryuusai-sama seemed to think that the Council would accept him as Third seat. If he was there, Ukitake, under your auspicies, I could rest easy knowing that his power wouldn't take him over. You're the one person who could keep him on the right side of his hunter's instinct - and if you were his role model as leader, I feel certain when the interdict was lifted...he'd be ready to forge ahead on his own."

"Take control of Hirata's kinsfolk, in his District, over his head?" Juushirou looked horrified, and Misashi grinned.

"Hirata agreed with me on that point," he said airily. "We might have argued about a few other things, but that one he had no objections about whatsoever. I think...he's very much hoping you'll accept. He hasn't said as much in words, but I rather think he's dreading going home and having to face it all on his own. If there was someone he'd like to take with him to help him deal with it, I'm certain it would be you. I realise Seventh holds bad memories for you, and it's far from your home - but even despite that..."

Juushirou glanced down at the crumpled sheet of paper, his mind racing.

"The Council would make me Captain, with no proof I could even cope?" he asked at length.

"Genryuusai-sama made you Anideshi, to see if you coped under the pressure of resentful Clansfolk," Misashi responded. "True, I imagine the hatred you'd face in my District would be tenfold in comparison, so I'm not sure it's a fair trial, but that's beside the point. I can't promise that people won't try to kill you on a regular basis if you agree to our suggestions, Ukitake - but I can promise that I'll do my best to ensure your safety whilst within the confines of my land. This would be for the benefit of the Endou, and also, for the benefit of the Districts, too. They need someone they can go to when graduation beckons - you could provide that pathway. I know it's a big job - probably the biggest anyone has ever asked of you...perhaps the biggest ever asked of a shinigami, given the state of Seireitei at the current time. Even so, though, that's the suggestion. It's up to you whether you take it on."

"What will happen if I don't? What of Thirteenth Division...what of the people in Seventh?" Juushirou asked hesitantly, and Misashi shrugged his shoulders.

"That question is academic," he admitted. "Thirteenth Division depends almost entirely on you agreeing, at least at the moment. Genryuusai-sama will not have a Clan son as Captain of his District division, and if you refuse, I don't know how many classes will have to graduate before a suitable candidate is found. Without wanting to put pressure on you unduly - this can only happen if you agree to it. Without you, the whole premise collapses. That's how important you are to Seireitei at the moment, Ukitake. Believe it or not, it's the truth."

"Ugh," Juushirou buried his head in his hands once more, feeling a dull ache begin to creep across his temples. "When you put it that way, I don't have any choice, do I? When you say it like that, I know if I don't accept...people will suffer for it. I might be scared- terrified of the bare idea, if you want the truth, but if it's that way...if there is only me..."

"Forcing yourself to do something that you really don't want to do might be counterproductive," Misashi reminded him.

"No...no." Juushirou let out a gusty sigh, shaking his head. "I can't think like that. I've said all along that I wanted things to be better...I told Keitarou that if I was going to change Seireitei's views, I'd do it from the inside, legitimately, no matter what the trials or the challenges I faced. I thought I'd have to work my way up from ground level and I was ready to do it...this has thrown me for a loop and I'm terrified at the bare idea. Not of going to District Seven, exactly, or risking my life working with your kinsfolk, but to be in a position of command so soon. I thought I'd have time to work up to what Shunsui has to face...now you're offering me the same challenges he has, only without all the Clan upbringing and connection as backup. I'm terrified of failing you all...but I don't see how I can say no. Not if this is what everyone believes is right, and not if I can really make a difference."

"Do you want time to think it over?" Misashi asked. "There is a little time before your graduation ceremony, and..."

"Thinking about it will just make me more afraid," Juushirou said honestly. "I'm decided, Misashi-sama. I'll do it. I don't know if I'll manage everything you want me to, but I...I'll try to do it. There are a lot of good District students at the Academy, and I've helped some of them while I've been Anideshi. I can't turn my back on them or anyone else now I've come this far. I chose to enter the Academy, and compete head to head with Clan students for top honours. I can't pretend I didn't want to stand alongside them...I asked for this, and I won't run from it."

He got to his feet, shooting his friend's father a resigned look.

"We should go back," he suggested. "I need to tell Sensei my decision before I lose my nerve - once I make a promise, I won't go back on it."

"You're a brave young man," Misashi observed, as they left the town, returning to the path that had seemed so tranquil and gentle only a short time before. "I can't explain why, but I feel reassured that you've agreed. I wasn't sure you would - I can't really make District Seven sound attractive, no matter how I try."

"Maybe that's the deciding factor, though," Juushirou considered, his clever eyes thoughtful. "I remember District Seven. I almost died there. You're right when you say I have no happy memories of it. But earlier you asked me about my family, Misashi-sama. I have seven blood brothers and sisters, but also another young girl lives with us. My foster sister, Shikiki."

"The healer child," Misashi's eyes lit up with remembrance, and Juushirou nodded.

"District Seven is where she was born, and Seimaru and Shouichi-sama took everything she had away from her, even though she and her family did nothing wrong," he said gravely. "In Sixth, she's had a chance to be a proper child, but there's still an air about her that reminds us all she never was to begin with. I don't think, if I went home, I could face her, knowing I'd turned my back on the place I first met her. Seventh might be unappealing, and I might be afraid of it, but the people there have been through worse. You've been through worse yourself, in fact. You're Clan leader now, Misashi-sama, but to get there..."

"Seimaru could have killed me," Misashi agreed. "I was in his way, and he never did like that. But I've healed, and District Seven is also healing. You're right, though - those ideals my father and nephew perpetuated haven't completely gone away. Your being in Seventh will be an affront to the most bigoted of my Clan and I'm sorry for it - but perhaps it will also help them break their prejudice towards the District folk. I have the hope that one day people like your Shikiki will be able to train and thrive as shinigami in District Seven without fear of reprisal. I know Hirata believes that too, because he believes in you. Between us, we want to change the habits of more than one lifetime and it will be hard, even with your help. I know how much we're asking, but..."

"I grew up in Sixth. But for a change in District, I could've been persecuted like Shikiki and her family for being spiritually gifted," Juushirou said sombrely. "The people who are in Seventh now deserve that chance, you're right. I'll do my honest best, and it's all I can do."

He tilted his head on one side, considering.

"The Council want me to Captain the division," he added thoughtfully, "but Hirata can't be Vice Captain? Did I understand that correctly - the Endou aren't allowed to hold those kinds of ranks till the interdict is up?"

"Correct," Misashi nodded. "Besides, when Seventh is ressurected, that will be Hirata's squad. Thirteenth will have its own members by then, from what Genryuusai-sama has said about the District students currently at the Academy, and as a by-blow, its own responsibilities away from the Endou. That includes an adjutant, of course. Your squad is valuable to me because it isn't tied to the Endou Clan but is - as much as it can be - a neutral force. If an Endou was your Vice Captain, even if it was allowed, it would destroy the objective of having you there."

"Did the Council happen to vote on that, too?"

"I'm not really familiar with Gotei tradition," Misashi rubbed his chin pensively, "but it's my understanding that a Captain chooses his Vice Captain himself. Even in a new squad like yours, Ukitake, the same rule would apply. I know it's probably a tricky thing to think of, when you're the only District shinigami, and with so much else to consider, but..."

"No, it's not tricky at all," Relief and inspiration burned in Juushirou's hazel eyes, and he shook his head. "Of everything you've said, it's the complete opposite. But...I can choose? Really? Myself?"

"Well, providing the other party is registered to use a _zanpakutou_, and they agree, then I imagine so - yes," Misashi looked non-plussed. "Why? Did you have someone in mind?"

"Maybe," Juushirou clasped his hands together, stifling a shiver as a cool breeze whipped around them. "It's cold out here."

"I shouldn't have brought you out without a cloak. I know your lungs aren't as strong as they ought to be," Misashi looked guilty, then loosened the clasp of his own Endou cloak, wrapping it pensively around the young boy's shoulders. "I'm sorry that it carries the allegiances it does, but for the time being, this will keep the wind away."

"A Clan cloak," Juushirou fingered the rich fabric, his mind flitting back to the black cloak still hanging in his chamber. "I will never be a Clan shinigami though, Misashi-sama. I might...I am loyal to the Council and I will obey the rules and laws they set down, because it's the right thing to do. It doesn't mean, though, that if something happens and I don't like it, I won't speak up. Hirata will tell you that it's a failing of mine - I don't keep out of situations if I see something amiss in them. I might cause you no end of trouble for backing me - are you still sure you want me to come back to Seventh?"

"You can cause me all the trouble you like, since my kin are a big part of my current Clan headache," Misashi said ruefully. "Shinigami lurking around with nothing to do other than plot and bother are a bad thing, trust me."

"Then there is one other thing," Juushirou pursed his lips thoughtfully. "You said you wanted people like Shikiki to be able to train. The Endou don't believe in that, though, do they? Women..._hime_like Eiraki-hime and Sumire-dono...they don't train to fight."

"No, but it has happened. My mother was one such who broke the mould," Misashi eyed him keenly. "Why?"

"If someone in Seventh District has talent, they should be allowed to use it," Juushirou said evenly, "but just as that's true, if there are _hime_in the Endou who have talent, they...they should have that right too. As...as a Captain, I won't preside over something that's not fair."

"Oh, this is going to be an interesting experience for all of us, I can see it already." To Juushirou's surprise, Misashi burst into laughter, genuine humour in his pale eyes. "Of course, I wouldn't dream of opposing a Gotei Captain in such matters."

"You...you agree with me?" Juushirou faltered, and Misashi nodded.

"Mother was proof that Endou _hime_ aren't useless. Eiraki is the proof we forget about them and cage them till their lives become interminably trapped," he said frankly. "You may do as you see fit where that's concerned. I don't imagine you'll find it as easy to persuade the kinsfolk of potential _hime_as easily as you might me, mind you - but you won't find me standing in your way. You're quite welcome to recruit women to your division."

"Thank you," Juushirou grinned. "I'm not sure 'my division' has really sunk in yet, and maybe it won't for a while longer, but...I'm glad you agree with me. It will make things easier. Just because Hirata's my friend...well, you are a Clan leader, and..."

"And you will be a Gotei Captain," Misashi pointed out lightly. "Our statuses will not be so very far apart."

"That's a frightening thought," Juushirou confessed. "I'd rather not consider it too hard, at least not yet."

"Juu! Oh! Misashi-sama, you're still here?"

As they approached the school grounds, Juushirou saw Shunsui walking towards them, Sora in his shadow, and he raised his hand in a wave.

"Good morning, Shunsui-dono," Misashi inclined his head towards the young Kyouraku, a warm smile touching his features. "I trust I find you well?"

"Yes, sir, I'm fine," Shunsui glanced at Juushirou, then returned the greeting with a bow of his own. "I'm sorry, I didn't realise your business with Juushirou was outside of school grounds."

"I'll tell you about it later, Shunsui. I promise," Juushirou assured him. "Right now I need to speak to Sensei, before I lose my nerve or fall to pieces - or both. At the moment I feel like anything is possible - so forgive me if I don't stop."

"Whatever you say," Shunsui held up his hands, stepping aside to let the two men pass. "I like that expression better than the one I saw last night, so I'll let it go for now. Sora and I'll catch you when you're less busy - we have some stuff of our own to attend to, in any case."

"Thank you," Juushirou shot his friend a grateful look, before turning back towards the school building. For a moment he paused, gazing up at it towards the floor where he knew Genryuusai's office was situated. Then he nodded, taking a deep breath.

"It's time to put this in motion, then," he murmured, more to himself than anyone else. "Time to follow Mitsuki's example and take a step into the future."


	6. Chapter 6

**~Six~**

"Juushirou-kun?"

As the door of the study slid back to re-admit the Clan leader and his District companion, Hirata turned towards them, his eyes both hopeful and anxious behind his glasses. At his glance, Juushirou nodded his head slightly, and relief flooded the younger boy's body.

"You...Father told you?"

"Yes. Everything," Juushirou agreed, carefully removing the brown cloak that had hung about his shoulders and returning it to its owner with a grateful smile. "Thank you for the use of your cloak, Misashi-sama. I will try not to go out without my own in future. My grandfather gave me a fine black one for facing the elements, and I should have thought to collect it before we went on our walk."

"You took your time," Genryuusai observed, and Misashi sent the old man an apologetic look.

"My fault, Genryuusai-sama. I took Ukitake out of the school grounds and we walked for a while, talking it all out between us," he said honestly. "I think...we both had a chance to say the things we thought and I believe Ukitake has things he wants to discuss with you now, if it's convenient."

"I've freed up my schedule for the morning to deal with this, and there's time yet," Genryuusai assured him. "Well, Juushirou? You've heard the arguments in favour, I trust? What are your feelings on the Council's proposal?"

"I'm terrified at the bare thought of it, Sensei," Juushirou owned, glancing down at the paper still clasped between his fingers. "If Misashi-sama hadn't shown me this, I wouldn't have believed it possible. Maybe I still don't, quite. The idea of me...graduating here...was a huge one when I first came. I wasn't sure I'd be of any use at all to anyone, and now you're telling me that you want to make me a Captain..."

"A very special kind of Captain, yes," Genryuusai agreed. "I'll make no apologies for having thrust such a challenge at you, my boy. The only question is, whether or not you intend to take hold of it with both hands and make it work?"

"Well, I intend on...on going to Seventh, as Misashi-sama suggested," Juushirou offered Hirata a grin, and his friend returned it, relief glittering in his pale gaze. "I don't know if I'm going to be any good at it, not yet, but since you've asked me, I won't turn it down. I realise why you've asked me and I want to help. If that's enough to be accepted, then I suppose I...I accept."

"It's enough," Genryuusai looked approving. "I know you won't do anything by halves once you've committed to it. I'm proud of you - and I know your father would be just as proud if he could see you now."

"I hope so," Juushirou chewed on his lip. "It's a huge thing to take on. I might make mistakes, Sensei. Lots of them, probably."

"Mistakes are how we learn," Genryuusai said comfortably. "Remember, the important thing about mistakes is to escape from them as unscathed as possible. Also, not to cover them over or ignore them, but face them and understand what went wrong so it can't happen again. We all make errors, but experience helps to smooth out the bulk of them. You'll get that experience first hand, in a rough environment with many dangers - well, like Edogawa, you'll be earning your spurs on the front line."

"Like Mitsuki..." Juushirou paused for a moment, then nodded, resolve burning in his hazel eyes. "Yes, sir. That's what I intend to do."

"You'll be glad to know that she made it safely to her destination camp in Rukongai, by the way," the old man's eyes softened. "You may share that news with your friends - I know you're all worried about her."

"I will," Gratitude sparkled in Juushirou's hazel eyes. "It might be a while before we see each other, but it seems we'll both be too busy to notice the time going by, especially if District Seven is going to be as chaotic as I think it is."

"It will be, and then some," Hirata murmured. "I'm glad you're coming back with us, Juushirou-kun. If I have to train with someone, I'd rather it was someone I trust."

"You're really all right with me outranking you in your homeland?" Juushirou shot his friend a look of consternation, and Hirata nodded.

"It's fine that way. I need to learn things and I'll do my best to learn them in the time you're in Seventh with me," he promised. "I'll back you up as much as is possible from a ranked position, and Father will do his best, too."

"That reminds me," Juushirou turned his gaze back on the old sensei. "Genryuusai-sensei, is it true that a Captain can...well...choose his own adjutant?"

"As a rule, yes," Genryuusai's bristling brows raised at the question. "Why do you ask?"

"Misashi-sama gave the impression that the Council hadn't designated me a Vice Captain for the Thirteenth Division," Juushirou twisted his fingers together absently, and Hirata could see the tension now coursing his friend's young frame. "I know it's impertinent to ask, but does that mean the choice is mine?"

"Ah, I see," Genryuusai's brown eyes lit up with comprehension. "You have doubts about your own suitability for such a role, Juushirou, yet you've already turned your mind to your right hand officer?"

"Yes, sir. I guess I have," Juushirou reddened, looking sheepish. "In all the things Misashi-sama said, that hit me like a bolt of lightning. See, I had a conversation with someone just yesterday...and I realised...walking back I realised that what I thought was a hypothetical chat actually could be...more like reality."

"Hirata, do you know what he means?" Misashi blinked at his son, non-plussed, and Hirata shook his head.

"I've no idea," he admitted. "Juushirou-kun, what are you trying to say?"

"I'm sorry. I'm being obtuse," Juushirou grimaced. "Sensei, this really is impertinent, so I apologise for it in advance and hope you'll overlook it. See, yesterday, Enishi and I were talking, and he mentioned how Eleventh Division's Captain had offered him a Vice Captain position. Is that true?"

"Minachi Atsushi-dono? Yes, it's true," Genryuusai's eyes became thoughtful. "Go on. What of this conversation?"

"Well, I don't want to say bad things of a man I haven't met, nor about your kinsman, sir, so I won't," Juushirou stumbled slightly around the subject, his cheeks reddening once more. "Just, Enishi didn't sound very happy with the idea, that's all. He didn't seem to think that Minachi-dono liked him very much."

"And you're telling me this because..?"

"Enishi feels like his family don't see him as anything other than a good-natured joke," Juushirou blurted out, and Hirata winced at the bluntness of his friend's words. "I mean, not you sir, but...others. People he knows. People like..."

"Atsushi-dono?"

"Well...erm...I...erm...yes."

"And you seek to resolve that problem by butting in?"

"I...I suppose that's what I'm doing," Juushirou twisted his hands together earnestly. "I told Enishi then, when we were talking, that it was ridiculous if they didn't take him seriously. I told him...I said that if I was a Captain, I'd have him as my Vice in a heartbeat, without regrets. And, well, walking back, I thought of it. I...I know it's poaching and probably horribly bad manners, but Sensei, is there any chance that..."

He trailed off, and Hirata sighed, removing his glasses and rubbing them absently on his sleeve.

"Houjou-kun was saying similar things at breakfast," he admitted. "You weren't there, Juushirou-kun, but he sounded less than happy with the idea of going to Eleventh. He was worried about letting his family down, but he really didn't sound like he wanted to go."

"I see," Genryuusai pressed his lips together, and there was a long silence, during which Juushirou and Hirata exchanged glances, Juushirou swallowing hard as the silence threatened to become oppressive.

"Who is this Houjou...Enishi?" Misashi broke the quiet just as Hirata felt sure he was going to scream, casting his son a questioning look. "A classmate of yours? Have I made his acquaintance?"

"A Yamamoto...a kinsman of mine who distinguished himself recently by saving the life of one of my young Kuchiki students on a mission to the Real World," it was Genryuusai who replied. "Since that event, he's garnered some interest from the Clans, and that's one of the reasons Atsushi-dono was persuaded to consider him for Vice Captain. You realise, Juushirou, that Clan squads are a tricky business? Enishi is a Yamamoto, and his loyalties are there first because of family obligation. I appreciate what you suggest, but even if you're worried for your friend..."

"I'm not. It's not that. I know Enishi and I know he's the kind of person any division should want in charge of their recruits," Juushirou shook his head. "It's because of those skills that I...I thought of him. He's someone I can trust, and someone who would never treat anyone from the Districts as inferior to him, even though he comes from a rich background. He's a kind person, Sensei, and I don't believe he even understands betrayal."

"Hirata?" Misashi's eyes slid back to his son, and Hirata smiled.

"I agree with Juushirou-kun," he said quietly. "Houjou-kun has been kind to me since the start, even when I barely spoke two words together to him. It didn't surprise me that someone wanted him to be Vice Captain, and I wouldn't object if he came to be...be ours."

"Well, I won't argue with his ability," Genryuusai admitted. "This isn't a matter you can resolve, though, either of you. I don't imagine it's one I can, either. Enishi must make his own choices. He has been offered a position in Eleventh Division and must make a decision regarding it before any of this can reach his ears. Understand? I won't have him pitched between his friends and his family...such a choice would only cause him pain."

"I understand, sir," Juushirou looked deflated, and the old man offered him a faint smile.

"I haven't said it's impossible. Only that Enishi must know nothing of your suggestion until he's wrestled with the matter of Eleventh Division and his own family duties first," he said evenly. "If he's been seeking advice from his peers, I've no doubt it's very much on his mind."

He gestured to the door.

"Juushirou, the second years should be finishing their Kidou studies around about now. Since they're in the temporary classroom still, they'll be passing this way - go tell one of them to take a message to Houjou Enishi and ask him to come to my office forthwith."

"Yes, sir," Juushirou got to his feet, hurrying to carry out his teacher's bidding, and Hirata sighed, returning his spectacles to his nose.

"If I had the choice to recruit with another division, Father, I think you know what my choice would be," he said heavily, and Misashi nodded his head.

"I do," he said softly. "I'm sorry, Hirata. We can't always have what we want."

"So long as it's Thirteenth, I'll be fine," Hirata pursed his lips. "It's when it becomes Seventh that I'll have the problems. But, if you won't let me go looking for Eiraki..."

"I won't. It's entirely too dangerous and unwise to go on a vigilante mission alone," Misashi spoke firmly. "We discussed that last night, and nothing has changed since then. Ukitake will need you, like you need him. That's part of this arrangment too - remember that. The Endou may listen to you more than they will him to begin with - without you to help that connection, Ukitake will struggle far more than he should."

"I won't let Juushirou-kun down," Hirata shook his head. "I've given my word and I won't go straying. I understand what's at stake, Father. Don't worry, I'll do what I should."

"And this Houjou Enishi? You'd approve of him as a member of this new squad?"

"I think he'd be much better with us than in Eleventh, but I'm biased and want to take all my friends with me," Hirata sighed. "Houjou-kun is what Juushirou-kun and Sensei said, though. He did save Kuchiki-kun's life when Onoe-kun was about to sever his spinal column, and he is quick and resourceful when it comes to acting. He's one of the best sword fighters in our year, and Juushirou-kun is right when he says he'd make a good Vice Captain wherever he went."

"I've sent the message," Juushirou re-entered the study, chewing anxiously on his lip. "Sensei, do you want us to go? If you want to speak to Enishi..."

"Since the boy has spoken to you about his offer, he obviously doesn't consider it a matter for Clan discretion," Genryuusai shook his head. "No, Juushirou, you may sit back down. I will talk to Enishi and while I am, you will say nothing - neither you nor Hirata will get involved, understand? I want to bring this to a head before we get any closer to graduation, so now seems as good a time as any."

"I shall leave the matter in your hands, then, Genryuusai-sama," Misashi bowed his head, making to excuse himself from the study. "I received a status report from my wife early before breakfast via one of your messengers, and I shouldn't delay my reply any longer. I will omit any reference to this morning's discussions until it has gone to the Council - but I cannot neglect the running of my Clan, even for something this important."

"Of course, I'm sorry," Genryuusai agreed. "Sumire-dono should not be kept waiting, and we won't detain you any more."

"Thank you," Misashi bowed properly and then was gone, door sliding shut on its runners behind him.

"What on earth did Father say to you to make you agree so quickly?" Hirata asked softly, and Juushirou shot him a rueful grimace.

"There's only me that can do this," he said slowly. "That's right, isn't it, Sensei? You've planned this for a while - maybe even when I was just a first year. All those talks you gave me about leadership and about understanding the impact I had on others...even making me Anideshi and using me to talk to prospective parents of District children. You had this in your mind all along."

"I won't deny it," Genryuusai's moustache twitched slightly in acknowledgement, "although some part of me, maybe, had it in mind the moment I first received your sensei's letter and came to visit you at your home. Are you cross with me, Juushirou, having an agenda all this time without telling you anything about it? But if you'd failed or faltered, what then? I couldn't risk you buckling under too much pressure too soon. Aizen's involvement complicated things, as well - I felt it better not to speak of it until we reached this point."

"Angry?" Juushirou seemed to be considering this for a moment, then he shook his head. "I don't think so. It's a shock, that's all. I'm not sure if I'm ready for it, but I don't want to let anyone down. People in Seventh have had a bad time, and maybe I can help them. I don't expect any of the Endou Clan to like me very much, but it's only for a short time and I might make a difference. Also, if I can survive that..."

He smiled wryly.

"Mitsuki's gone to Rukongai with the attitude that if she can survive that, overcome it and gain merit, she'll be able to tackle anything and nobody will question her aptitude as a healer," he murmured. "Now I'm in the same position. If I can do this, nobody can ever question my right to be involved in the Gotei - or my right to lead, can they? She and I, we're more alike than I realised. She saw her path ages ago, and readied herself to face it - but I'm only scrambling along in the direction of mine now."

"As you say." Now Genryuusai was definitely smiling, Hirata was sure of it. "That was a very mature response, my boy. I'm not giving you an easy job - if I had, it would have meant that in my estimation you had failed. This is the hardest assignment I could've given you, and probably, the most dangerous. Not only do I expect you to tackle it, though, I anticipate complete success. I expect Thirteenth Division to leave Seventh District with a sense of their own identity, ready to take up a full and unequivocal position in the Seireitei Gotei. That is what I expect from you. Nothing less will do."

"For me either," Juushirou spoke solemnly. "If I succeed, it means any District born shinigami can succeed. If I can flourish, so can they. I understand what it means, Sensei. I'll keep it in mind all the time, I swear."

A heavy rap at the door prevented Genryuusai from responding, and the divide slid back to reveal Enishi, his clothing somewhat rumpled from what Hirata imagined had been a ferocious and disciplined sword drill out in the far yard. He had come straight from the grounds, not bothering to wipe his hands or tidy his appearance, and the traces of sweat that lingered about his brow suggested he'd run all the way without stopping to catch his breath.

"You...wanted me...Sensei?"

He gasped out, and Genryuusai smiled, merely motioning for him to step closer to the desk.

"I did, but the world wasn't about to end if you took time to neaten your appearance, Enishi," he said lightly. "Remember that only when someone's life is in danger should you forget the need to present a respectable and well-disciplined front to those around you. It's a matter of squad reputation, and inspections are not uncommon."

"Yes...yes, sir," Enishi reddened uncomfortably, colour flooding his already flushed features, and a haphazard hand went to his brow as he used his sleeves to wipe the worst of the sweat from his face. "I didn't have time to...well, it sounded urgent, sir, when the kid told me you wanted me. I thought something might be wrong, since you keep sending for folk right and left lately."

"True," Genryuusai agreed pensively. "Very well, we'll get to the point. You've received word from the Clan about Eleventh, I trust?"

"Yes. Yes, sir, I have," Enishi's expression changed in a moment, a guarded look entering his normally open dark eyes, and Hirata frowned, reading the tension that now rippled unbidden through his friend's muscular frame. "Is that why you summoned me? Is there word from Atsushi-dono about it?"

"I've had no further communication other than the one notifying me of his interest in you," Genryuusai shook his head. "Graduation is close, however, and as you have received an offer, you must decide what to do with it. Your future may well rest on this decision, as well you know. I want to hear your thoughts, Enishi - as honestly as you can give them, please. Atsushi-dono is a respectable shinigami who doesn't deserve to be kept waiting."

"I know that's true, sir," Enishi admitted, running his fingers through his short hair absently. "I was going to come see you later, seeing as you were with Ukitake and Hirata this morning. Well, seems you still are, " he amended, apparently noticing his classmates for the first time. "I'm not intruding, am I?"

"Since I sent for you, I imagine not," Genryuusai pointed out sensibly, and Enishi looked sheepish.

"Guess that's true," he owned. "I'm not thinking straight. Sorry."

"Now that matter's put aside, we should discuss Eleventh Division," Genryuusai was not pulling any punches, and Enishi sighed.

"Father would want me to say yes," he said slowly. "I know he would, his letter all but says as much. He's not subtle, not when he has something he wants to convey."

"I'm not asking your father, Enishi. I'm asking you," Genryuusai continued patiently, and Enishi nodded.

"I know," he agreed. "That's part of the problem, though, sir. If I'm honest, I'm...well, I'm damn torn up over the whole thing. I know that it's a big honour to be asked something like this, and I ought to jump at it, being that it's my Clan and probably the best offer I'll get. Certainly, if I don't, well, I won't have any place in District One at all, will I? I don't say my family will evict me or anything, but they'd be damned disappointed in me all over again if I shirked and ran away. The sensible thing is to accept the offer, isn't it? That's what I ought to do - that's what I should come here and say."

Genryuusai said nothing, and Hirata and Juushirou exchanged looks behind their classmate's back, each dying to speak up but both knowing that to do so would only make the tense situation worse.

"Thing is, I don't think like that, not deep down," Enishi confessed. "Atsushi-dono's a damn fine shinigami, maybe, but he doesn't like me, nor I him. That's the truth of it. I'm not a shinigami who can buckle down to a leader if I don't respect them, and to be frank, Sensei, that's beyond me. I've spent alot of time thinking about it, and even realising the consequences...I guess that's not how you taught me, is it? I didn't come here to just be pushed and prodded into a hole that the Clan's offered me. I'm not going to do that. It struck me that if other people can start from scratch with nothing, then I can do that, too. I'd rather that than work under Atsushi-dono. It's nothing against him, sir, just I think he's a bad fit for me, and he'd consider taking me a mistake."

"I see," Genryuusai's expression gave nothing away. "You intend on refusing the offer from Eleventh Division, then?"

"Father will be livid, most probably. I'll have t'hide out with my sister a while till it blows over - maybe for years, in fact," Enishi said ruefully, "but I can't do it, Sensei. I can't lie and pretend with things like loyalty. Maybe some people could, I don't know, but I'm not built that way. I know it's a damn nusiance and I'm sorry for it, but there it is. I guess I'll be the butt of some more Yamamoto jokes instead."

Across the room, Hirata saw Juushirou fidget, but the white haired boy still said nothing, and Genryuusai's expression softened.

"Your decision is final?" he asked, and Enishi nodded firmly.

"Final as it can be, I guess, bar the shouting," he acknowledged wryly. "I'm done, Sensei. I'm sorry, but it feels a weight off my mind to say it all like that, so I guess I've done right. I'll deal with my family somehow. It'll be all right."

He made as if to leave, but Genryuusai called him back, and he turned, eying his teacher quizzically.

"Sensei?"

"I haven't dismissed you, yet, Houjou," Genryuusai's words were light, but the sudden use of Enishi's family name made the tall boy pause, uncertainty and apprehension entering his expression. "I'm not finished talking to you. Would you indulge me a little longer?"

"I didn't mean..." Enishi faltered, and Genryuusai held up his hands to indicate the boy should stop speaking.

"As it happens, your decision is a pivotal one," he murmured. "The stars must be shining on you somewhere, because it turns out Atsushi-dono isn't the only Captain who has expressed an interest in you."

"Not the only...?" Enishi blinked, floored by this concept, and despite the situation, Hirata could not help but smother a smile at his friend's reaction. Genryuusai shook his head.

"Only today, in fact, I received word to that effect," he agreed calmly, "from a Captain who would like to take you into his squad...as his second in command."

"As..._Vice Captain_?" If Enishi's eyes widened any more, Hirata felt sure that they would tumble out of his head. "Sensei, that's not possible! Eleventh is the only one with the vacancy, I know that, and..."

"That...is not quite so," Genryuusai held his hand up once more. "The Council have decided that, from this spring, a new squad will be operating in Seireitei. It will be based in Seventh District, and it will be actively involved in training shinigami in readiness for the re-opening of Seventh Squad some years down the line. A Captain has been selected already, and that Captain has named you as his preferred adjutant. Whilst I don't suppose it will be a pleasant or easy task, it is another option for you to consider."

"That's insane," Enishi whispered, rubbing his eyes as if by doing so he could see the logic behind his kinsman's words more clearly. "Even if the Council did set up such a squad, Sensei, why would any Captain want _me_? What on earth have I done to get that much interest? I finished twelfth of twelve. It does me fine, but it's hardly the kind of score that's going to catch people's eye. I know I helped Kuchiki, and I don't regret it, but seriously, this has gone beyond logic now. The Yamamoto barely want me, if I'm honest about it - who on earth else would take a chance on someone as unproven as me?"

"Oh, I think this Captain has very strong opinions on that score," Genryuusai locked gazes with Juushirou, who offered him a smile of undisguised gratitude. "He's a stubborn individual not given to easily changing his views, and I'm sure he knows what he's doing. He seems very knowledgeable about your strengths and what you could add to a squad - and I must confess, I don't disagree with his argument."

"But...why?" Enishi looked blank. "Why, Sensei? I don't get it...why?"

"Because the Captain is _me_, Enishi-kun," now Juushirou spoke, unable to keep the silence any longer, and Enishi swung around as if stung by a wasp, his jaw dropping open wide enough that Hirata was certain the whole of his hawk's spirit would be able to fly inside with room to spare. "It's my squad Sensei's talking about. My...my division."

"I thought we'd agreed that I'd do the talking, Juushirou," Genryuusai's words were chiding, and Juushirou flushed, shaking his head.

"Sensei, you said that you had to talk to Enishi about Eleventh," he responded firmly. "You did, and he's clearly turned it down. That means that he has no overriding obligation. That means...that means I can ask him, doesn't it? And...and Sensei, with all due respect...Thirteenth Division isn't...for you to decide on any more. It's for me to ask...the person I want as my adjutant if he'll come with me to Seventh."

"_Ukitake?_" Now Enishi found his tongue, still staring at his friend as though he'd grown another head, and Genryuusai's smile became one of amusement.

"You haven't graduated yet, Juushirou," he pointed out, "but I take your point. It is your place to ask, not mine."

"Thank you," Juushirou bowed his head towards the teacher, then shuffled around to face Enishi properly, reaching out a hand to touch his friend's arm.

"Sensei and the Council want to start a District squad, so that, as and when they graduate, there's somewhere for District shinigami to go," he said softly. "Eventually, we want all the squads to mix, but for now...this is the only way District shinigami like Nagasata-san and Tsukabishi-kun will be able to enter the Gotei. They want me to lead it, and I'm terrified of it, but I've...I've already said yes. Because I'm the only District shinigami right now, Misashi-sama has asked me to go to Seventh and help train the people there to be better shinigami, as well as accept District shinigami. It's a big thing to ask, but I've said yes to that as well. Hirata will come too, and I wanted...I hoped you might come with me as my Vice Captain...if you didn't go to join Eleventh."

Enishi gulped, swallowing hard, then,

"That's for real? All of that...this isn't some weird dream I'm having, but for real?" he demanded, and Hirata burst out laughing, shaking his head.

"What Juushirou-kun's said is true, Houjou-kun," he assured his classmate. "He and I would both like you to come with us. Juushirou-kun was quite adamant about it, in fact...he wanted you to be his Vice Captain, and nobody else."

"You're not my second choice," Juushirou agreed. "You were the first person who sprang to mind when I realised the position was vacant. When I said it to you yesterday, I wasn't kidding. It was hypothetical then - but it isn't now, and well, it could be...even less hypothetical, if you agree."

Enishi stared for a moment, then, without warning, he lunged forwards, hugging Ukitake tightly before releasing him in a breathless, half-crumpled heap on the ground.

"I appreciate it," he said sincerely, and if Hirata hadn't known better, he would've sworn he saw tears in his big friend's eyes. "You too, Hirata. I mean it. I never expected...well, I had no idea any of this was going on. Trust me to be out of the loop - but if that's what you want, I'll come with pleasure. At least if I'm with you guys, I'll know I'm with people I can trust."

"That's a yes, then? A definite yes?" Hirata demanded, and Enishi nodded.

"If Sensei doesn't mind, I'm in," he agreed, grasping Hirata's hand and shaking it hard enough to rip it from its socket. "I'll come to Seventh and help pound sense into your kinsfolk, Hirata. You have my word. The Thirteenth Division, did Ukitake say? Funny, thirteen's always been a good number for me. I like it. I'm in."

Genryuusai lifted his brush, making a note of something on the parchment in front of him, then he nodded.

"Houjou Enishi will be seconded to the Thirteenth Division, then," he mused. "I'll make sure Atsushi-dono knows that something vitally important came up and you were drafted into the role as the only suitable candidate. I admit I had my doubts about you working with him, Enishi - though I think you downplayed your ability to do so, if need be. Still, this will be challenging, too. It won't be as easy as the Real World was, remember that."

"When was the Real World easy, Sensei?" Hirata asked quizzically, and Genryuusai smiled.

"You are dismissed," was all he said, however. "You may discuss this as you see fit with your associates, since they will all know soon enough through channels of their own, no doubt. Also, if you happen to see Shiba Sora or Shikibu Naoko, ask them to come my way? They're the final members of your class to be settled with any firm position, and time is ticking on."

He gestured towards the door, and the three students took it as their clear cue to leave. Relieved, they hurried to obey, scuttling down the hallway as if they were still juniors trying to escape the attention of the staff.

"I wasn't expecting that," as they approached the Senior annexe, it was Enishi who broke the silence. "Truly, it was the last thing I had in mind. I thought Sensei would want to discuss Eleventh, but..."

"Juushirou-kun pretty much demanded the right to ask you about it, though," Hirata reflected, and Juushirou reddened, looking embarrassed.

"I might have been a bit cheeky," he owned, "but I knew you didn't really want to go to Eleventh Division, and, well, I was pretty sure I wanted you as my second more."

"You're going to be a Captain, then, like Kyouraku," Enishi paused, eying his friend from head to toe, then nodding approvingly. "Yes, I can see it. I think it's a damn good idea, Ukitake. I wish I'd thought of it, to be honest - it's obvious now I think of it. If there's going to be a District squad, it can't be led by Clan, can it? Plus, you tied with Kyouraku at the top of the class. If not you, who else?"

"If not Juushirou-kun, there'd be no Thirteenth at all," Hirata intoned wryly. "They only wanted him and didn't vote to accept anyone else. If he hadn't agreed, Houjou-kun, the whole plan would've stalled."

"So that's how they got you to agree?" Enishi asked, and Juushirou nodded.

"Sort of," he owned with a sigh. "I'm terrified, Enishi. Seriously, gut-wrenchingly terrified. The only good part about that is that my brain can't process bottomless terror and losing Mitsuki at once, and right now the fear is taking firm precedence over anything else. Still, though, what choice do I have, really? I'd regret it for the rest of my life if I said no. I could go to Seventh and be killed - Misashi-sama more or less said he couldn't guarantee they wouldn't try to kill me. Being a shinigami isn't about hiding and playing safe, though."

"You haven't stopped and worried too much about being killed over the last few years," Hirata added ironically. "It would be odd if you got concerned about it now."

"Kid's got a point, Ukitake," Enishi chuckled appreciatively, slapping the younger boy on the back, and Hirata scowled at him.

"I thought we'd done with the 'kid'? I just trained Kai-kun not to, and now you?"

"Sorry," Enishi grinned good-naturedly. "Though if I'm going to be your Vice Captain, you'll need to use a more respectful tone when telling me off. Say, how does that work, anyway?" this last to Juushirou. "We're going to Seventh, right? Forgive me if it was already covered, but why am I your adjutant, not Hirata?"

"Endou are banned. Seventh's under interdict. That includes me," Hirata said succinctly, before Juushirou could respond. "Though to be honest, Houjou-kun, I think you're a better choice. I'm going to study the both of you and learn from you, for when it's my turn with the_ haori_- I'm hoping some of your rationality will rub off on me and I won't be reduced to using Seizumi to separate insolent recruits into their component atoms when the decisions lie with me."

"You're not that bad," Juushirou scolded, and Hirata shook his head.

"No, and I won't be, not now I have people to look up to," he teased. "I'm really glad you're both coming, honestly. I was worried about going home - but now it won't be so bad at all."

"I wonder what Sora and Shikibu-san will do," Juushirou reflected. "Sensei saying it like that brought it home - we've not much time left before we graduate."

"Shikibu should come with us," Enishi said thoughtfully. "That sword of her's is damn evil when it gets going, and I'm sure we could put it to good use in Seventh."

"She's also a girl," Juushirou agreed.

"What has that to do with it?" Hirata blinked, and Juushirou laughed.

"Well, when Misashi-sama was explaining to me about the task that faced us, I pointed out to him that if District children, girls and boys, were to be allowed the chance to train, Endou _hime_ should have that same right," he explained. "I know Shikibu-san isn't an Endou - about as far from it as you can get, actually - but she is a _hime_, and maybe hesitant fathers would be happier sending their daughters away if there were female shinigami already in the ranks. What Enishi says isn't untrue, either. She has got a powerful sword and just as powerful a personality. I don't know if she'd want to come to a place like Seventh, or answer to someone like me as her Captain - but I can see Enishi's point. Maybe she _should_ come with us."

"We could ask her?" Hirata looked doubtful. "Sensei seemed to hand over those decisions to you now, Juushirou-kun, so if you wanted, you could ask."

Juushirou shook his head.

"I don't know. She might think we're feeling sorry for her, and she'd hate that," he said thoughtfully. "Right now, let's leave it be. Sensei will talk to them both, and probably drum some sense into Sora about the Shiba. Shikibu-san needs to decide for herself what she intends to do. Working for a District squad in a foreign land might be too much of a comedown for her. I don't want to take anyone with me who doesn't want to come. It's going to be hard enough without that."

"We'll let it be, then?" Enishi asked, and Juushirou nodded.

"For now, yes," he agreed. "I have a speech to write, before the ceremony happens, so for now I'm going to focus on that."

"Are we telling the others?" Hirata asked.

"What do you think?" Juushirou eyed him playfully. "Not tell Shunsui he's not so rid of my company after all? Impossible. Sensei said it wasn't a secret...besides, I don't think I could keep it hidden. Not right now. I'm still all over the place after last night, and now..."

"It has focused you, though, hasn't it?" Hirata looked thoughtful. "Sensei's timing was good. Maybe it was on purpose. Perhaps he realised you and Edogawa-san were close friends, and did it like this so you'd have something else to consider."

"I doubt that Sensei cares at all about that," Juushirou laughed, "but you're right. I am more focused. Last night I wasn't sure how I'd pull together and keep going with her leaving, but now I'm putting it into perspective. We'll meet again, she and I. I'm more sure of it now than I was last night. She was meant to go there, I'm meant to do this. We'll do those things, then she'll come back to Seireitei and Thirteenth will be there too, and...well, who knows? Anything is possible. If I can become a Captain, seriously, anything is possible."

"I can think of worse candidates," Enishi slapped him on the back warmly. "I'm glad you've cheered up, though. Let's go drop the bombshells on the others, then, since you're so keen, and pass on Sensei's message while we're there."

"Good plan, Fukutaichou," Juushirou's eyes twinkled, and Enishi snorted good-naturedly.

"Practicing?" he teased, and Juushirou nodded.

"Scared as I am, I have two people I trust absolutely to watch my back," he said honestly. "If that's the case, I'm a little reassured. With your sword skills, Enishi-kun, and your speed and kidou, Hirata, I'm sure nobody will get within ten feet of causing me harm."

"And if they do, Sougyo no Kotowari will soon convince them they made a mistake," Enishi interjected bluntly. "Don't pretend you're helpless, Ukitake. We won't be fooled by that, will we, Hirata?"

"Not at all," Hirata agreed firmly. "We're going to expect the best from you, Juushirou-kun, so you'd best be prepared!"

As the three students made their way towards the annexe, laughing and joking, none of them saw a familiar figure step out from behind a classroom door, greenish eyes clouded and thoughtful as she watched their retreating figures disappearing into the distance.

If any had looked back, they might have realised that their conversation had been overheard. They might have seen the battle of emotions cross the girl's clever, strident features, and the little, firm nod of decision that followed. If they had glanced even for a moment over their shoulders, they might have seen her turn on her heel, making her way purposefully towards Genryuusai's study.

Not one of them looked back, however, and the three students returned to the Senior Annexe none the wiser.

* * *

><p>"Nao-chan?"<p>

Sora paused halfway through munching her third rice cracker, staring at Juushirou with surprise and consternation. "I haven't seen her, why? I've been with Shunsui since breakfast - have you tried the dorm?"

"We're not exactly allowed in the girl's bedrooms, Sora," Juushirou grimaced, dropping down in front of the window and folding his arms. "I can't go look for her there - Shunsui's probably the only one of us who'd dare break that rule, and even he wouldn't do it so close to graduation. That leaves you - and Sensei was quite clear. He wants to see the both of you about what you intend to do after graduation."

"I might dare," Shunsui leaned over Sora, reaching for a handful of crackers and sitting back on his cushion contemplatively. "It would be a shame not to take chances this late on in the game. Opportunities missed, and all of that."

"Don't even think about it," Sora grimaced his way, tapping him lightly across the side of the head before getting to her feet. "If it's a message from Sensei, I'll find her and deliver it myself. She's probably in the dorm, anyhow, moving stuff. With Mitsuki leaving last night, she and I agreed to room the last few days together, so neither one of us were on our own...oops. Sorry, Juushirou," she sent him an apologetic look. "I didn't mean to rake it up for you. You must be missing her pretty badly, right?"

"I am," Juushirou agreed, "but I'm trying to put it into perspective. It doesn't help anyone if I mope, so I'm going to do my best not to."

"That sounds optimistic, if completely unlikely based on your expression last night," Shunsui licked cracker crumbs from his fingers, eying Juushirou carefully. "What did Sensei want, anyhow? Must've been something pretty major to get you up and running again. I was really afraid you'd shut yourself in the Nest, but no, here you are, bright and raring to go. Must've been some pep-talk, that's all I can say."

"You could say that," Juushirou exchanged glances with Hirata and Enishi, who grinned, nodding. "I'll explain in a bit - I wanted to pass on Sensei's message first."

"Hey, no fair waiting till I'm gone someplace else!" Sora, who had been halfway to the door, swung around, putting her hands on her hips indignantly. "I want to know as well, you know! We were all worried about you - it's not nice to cut me out!"

"Kai-kun and Kuchiki-kun aren't here either," Hirata pointed out. "It's just us - and besides, Sensei was pretty adamant he needed to see you. If you don't settle what you're doing when we graduate soon..."

"Oh, that," Sora dismissed it with a wave of her hand. "It's fine. Settled. Decided. Messages signed, sealed and maybe not quite delivered, but en route if nothing else. All I have to do is pass on to Sensei where I intend to recruit, so he can add it to his list. That won't take ten seconds."

"You're settled already?" Enishi was startled. "Are you going home, then?"

"Home?" Sora snorted, shaking her head. "Not likely. I told you, I'm not going to play the Shiba-hime for anyone. No, I'm going to Eighth. Shunsui asked me to be his Vice Captain, and I accepted."

"Shunsui did?" Juushirou's eyes widened. "Shunsui, is that true?"

"I need a Vice Captain. Might as well make it one I like," Shunsui shrugged offhandedly. "Apparently such things are up to a Captain to settle, so I thought I ought to begin professionally. It benefits Sora and it benefits me this way, so you might say it was a mutual negotiation. The Shiba want to feel that Sora's stashed somewhere safe and in keeping with their family interests. By the time they realise the Shiba blood ends with Tokutarou-nii, there won't be much they can do to complain."

"So there it is," Sora dimpled. "I wrote a letter to Haku-nii to pass on to Okaasama, and Shunsui's written to the Kyouraku to advise them of his choice. We were going to go see Sensei about it later, to tell him, but he was still holed up with you people."

"I see," Juushirou's expression became thoughtful.

"Are you cross?" Shunsui looked apprehensive. "I know I said from the start that I'd take you to Eighth, Juu, if nobody else..."

"I don't need you to, as it happens," Juushirou's grey eyes lit up with amusement at his friend's awkwardness. "If you had offered me a place in your squad, it turns out I'd have had to have turned it down. Sensei's found another job for me - and I've already said I'll do it, so there's no going back."

"Another...job?" Shunsui's eyes narrowed, and he glanced from Juushirou to the other two boys. "It involves you two? No, Hirata. It involves Hirata because Misashi-sama was here...and..."

"It involves me too, now," Enishi squeezed his bulk more comfortably in between two beams, shooting Kyouraku a cheerful grin. "We're all packing up and moving out to Seventh to help teach some rogue Endou shinigami Gotei manners."

"You're what, now?" Sora gaped, and Hirata laughed.

"It's sort of what Houjou-kun said," he agreed, eyes sparkling with mischief. "We are going to District Seven. Father particularly requested it, and well, Juushirou-kun agreed so it's all arranged."

"Juu?" Shunsui sent his white haired friend a beseeching look, and Juushirou relented.

"It seems that you're not going to be the only Captain graduating from the Academy this year," he said slowly, outlining the bare bones of his conversation with Misashi. "I didn't really see what to do but say yes, so I did. Enishi's coming with me as my second, because I don't think there's anyone else who could fill the role so well, and Hirata'll be involved too, although he's not allowed to hold officer rank till the interdict is over. Sensei's been planning this for me for ages - maybe before I even began at the Academy, if I'm honest. It's one way I can repay him for all he's done for me - but more importantly, it's something that'll help District shinigami and I...I really think that's important to do."

"Yama-jii's a sly old dog, sometimes," Shunsui's brown eyes took on a look of disbelief. "I knew he had plans for you, but this? Mind you, it makes sense. Hell, it makes more sense than throwing a _haori _at me and hoping I'll pull it together. I'm a little envious of you, Juu-kun. You'll have earned the right to wear your _haori_. Mine is strictly bloodline."

"I don't think that's true, you know," Juushirou shook his head. "If you hadn't worked hard for it, we wouldn't have finished joint top, now would we?"

"Yamamoto's going to burst a blood vessel when he hears this, you know," Sora's eyes danced with amusement. "Please let me be in the room when you tell him. I want to see the aneurysm for myself."

"I guess he'll take it kinda hard," humour played around the edges of Juushirou's lips. "Anyway, now you both know our news. And we know yours - it's been a busy day."

"Nao-chan is still left without a path to take," Sora's expression became suddenly shadowed. "I'm fine, but Sensei may be able to help her and I'm wasting time keeping him waiting. I'll go to the bedrooms and see if she's there. I don't want her to be the only one without a squad when we graduate."

"Sora..." As Sora placed her hand on the door, Juushirou spoke, making the girl hesitate a second time.

"Yes?"

"You know Shikibu-san better than the rest of us," Juushirou exchanged glances with Enishi and Hirata, then turned an earnest gaze back on his female classmate. "How do you think she'd take it, if we asked her to come with us to Seventh District?"

"Naoko? Recruit her? To the District Squad?" Sora pressed her lips together thoughtfully. "Is that a serious question, or are you just fishing out of the blue?"

"Serious, I think. We discussed it a bit, but we weren't sure if she'd be offended if we asked her, so we haven't, yet," Juushirou admitted. "I was worried she'd think we were just taking pity on her."

"Would you be?" Sora demanded, and Juushirou shrugged.

"Perhaps a little. At least, not intentionally pity, but we don't want her future to be wasted because of what happened when Keitarou was here," he said honestly. "More, though, having a girl involved in the squad might be good for the Endou Clan. They're not used to that, and it might teach them that girls can be shinigami too. I intend on challenging their sexist ideas that way - you and Mitsuki and Shikibu-san have more than earned your ranks this year and there's no reason girls shouldn't be just as good at being shinigami as guys."

"Also, Shikibu's sword is freakish evil when it gets going," Enishi said bluntly. "Those are characteristics we'd probably need in District Seven - it isn't gonna be any kind of a picnic, and it helps to have the tactical weaponry on your side as well as the slash and run kind."

"In short, you think Dokusou Houshi would fit in disciplining unruly Endou?" Sora arched an eyebrow. "That seems unusually brutal for you, Houjou."

"I'm not going with preconceptions," Enishi responded matter-of-factly. "Just, a good tactician covers all bases. Isn't that what Sensei's taught us in Sakusen? I'm trying to think as a potential leader, too. I know what Ukitake's strengths are, and mine, and Hirata's, too. We're good as we are, but Shikibu has a whole level of nasty in her sword that, no offence intended, would be damned useful in both hunting Hollows and keeping any mutinous shinigami in line. If it was up to me, I'd like to take her with us - but if she's going to be offended by it, that's a whole different game. It's not up to us - it's up to her."

"You sound serious," Sora admitted, chewing on her lip. "I don't know. Nao is very proud, and she's taken it hard, all this stuff with her family. The Yamamoto too, of course. I'm not sure if she's even decided on a path for herself, not yet, and since she's left her Clan, choosing one will be hard. Her sword is strong, but she's become a little scared of it. I dunno how tolerant anyone would be, to be honest, convincing her that it's okay to release her shikai and use it again, not after what happened. But..."

"But?" Juushirou echoed, and Sora sighed heavily.

"If you're serious, and it's for the reasons Houjou said, you should ask her," she said at length. "All she can do is say no. Thing is, whether she admits it or not, Naoko's got some pretty deep post traumatic stress going on inside. It goes back to Suzuno, but the business with Aizen just made it worse. I won't say she's suicidal, but I think if she'd been able to run back home and hide, she might've done it after all of that. Thing is, she can't. There's no escape route, and Mitsuki and I did our best to look out for her. Now Mi-chan is gone too. Naoko doesn't ask for help till things are at breaking point. Putting her in a foreign squad might break her permanently, since she wouldn't say anything even if she was over her head."

"If it was Juu, though, he'd know what she'd been through," Shunsui murmured. "Enishi and Hirata too. We all know. We none of us hate Naoko-chan for what happened, nor do we intend to let her keep reliving it for the rest of her life. I think she should go to Seventh with you, Juu. If what Sora says is true, it's about as far from her home and this place as she can get. You won't bully her, because you're not that kind of person. Really, it needs to be one of us, and there's no way she'd ever buckle to taking my leadership. You, though, that would be different. I think she'd accept it if it was you."

"I guess that's our answer, then," Juushirou said frankly. "I'll try and speak to her alone, later, if I can. See if I can persuade her to agree to come with us. If nothing else, it'll be a brand new start, like Shunsui says. Nobody in Seventh need ever know what happened to her here."

"I won't say anything to her about it," Sora promised, "since it ought to come from you. But I need to go find her now. Time's ticking on and Sensei'll be cross."

With that she was gone, door sliding shut behind her with a bang, and Shunsui eyed Juushirou appraisingly.

"White suits you. Black and white is a good combination, since it's pretty much your colour scheme," he said critically. "I hope Kaede-dono and the chibis will get a chance to see you in full regalia, Juu-kun. It'll be one thing at the graduation ceremony, but _haori_ aren't presented there and they ought to see exactly what their darling has achieved."

"Don't tease me," Juushirou reddened, shaking his head impatiently. "This came as a shock to me as much as to anyone else, and I'm still pretty freaked out when I stop and think about all it's going to entail. I don't want to speak badly of Hirata's kin, but I'm not likely to be welcomed with open arms when they find out I'm from the Districts."

"That's true, but you won over a lot of Clan people here," Shunsui pointed out. "And you've Hirata's endorsement - right, Hirata?"

"Of course," Hirata nodded his head. "Father won't let me go chasing off after Eiraki and Aizen, so you won't be able to get rid of me, Juushirou-kun."

"He's quite right. You shouldn't be thinking about looking for them," Juushirou said reprovingly. "It's too dangerous and you might get hurt."

"Look who's talking!" Hirata's eyes widened in indignation, and Shunsui let out a low chuckle of approval at his young friend's expression.

"He has a point," he drawled. "It's hard to give that kind of order any meaning when you've not obeyed it yourself."

"No...that was before," Juushirou stuck to his guns. "I was just a student and so was Hirata, when that all happened. Now I'm going to be his Captain, and allowing one of my division to run off into danger when it can be prevented is not on my agenda."

"We'll see how long it lasts," Shunsui eyed the other boy speculatively. "I predict that the first person to run off into avoidable danger will be you, and it will be Enishi and Hirata coming to your rescue."

"It won't!" Now Juushirou was the one indignant, and Enishi laughed, clapping his hand down firmly on Juushirou's thin back.

"We'll be there to back you up, whatever you decide," he said warmly. "The more I think on it, the more I'm looking forward to going. I'm sure Sensei will settle it with Atsushi-dono, and this way my family might feel like there was a point to all my training, so I'm sure Father will come around to the idea, too. It's a big responsibility, helping to put the bits of the Seventh back together so they can serve again when the interdict lifts. I feel like we can do good work there, even if to begin with it's a bit rough."

"Not all of the Endou really like me all that much. Some of them were Grandfather's men, trained to recognise Seimaru, but not Father or I," Hirata reflected. "Father's kept them in line, but it won't be his job to when we go back."

"How many shinigami are you going to be reforming?" Shunsui asked, and Hirata shrugged.

"Ten, twelve. Something like that," he responded thoughtfully. "I know most of them, I think. Some better than others. There are a few on Father's Council but they're getting on in years and I expect Father will want to keep them as they're loyal to him and better at his side. In terms of Seimaru's squad, I think there were seven or eight shinigami who have had nothing much to do since the start of the interdict. Father seemed to think there were at least ten candidates, though - which will make a squad of thirteen at minimum."

"Thirteen for the thirteenth. That seems a good omen," Shunsui chuckled, and Juushirou nodded.

"It does," he agreed, "but if we do take Shikibu-san, it will be fourteen. Maybe even more - Misashi-sama thought there might be as many as twelve."

"Well, that's a good firm basis for a squad," Enishi said comfortably. "Better to do manoeuvres when you're in double figures, even better if it's an even number."

"Let's hope so," Juushirou chewed on his lip. "Leaders we may be, but we'll be outnumbered."

"Another good reason to take Naoko-chan with you," Shunsui observed ruefully. "She makes it seem like there are several of her when she's displeased about something, and if she's on your side, it'll even the odds."

"I guess we'll see what she has to say about it," Juushirou said at length. "Right now, though, I have a speech to get written. With everything I've barely thought about it, but the ceremony's not far off and whatever we're all doing when term ends, right now I'm Anideshi and I have one more important duty to discharge. I'm gonna run up to the nest and get my stuff then go to the library, I think. At this end of term, with exam done, there'll be hardly anyone there and I should be able to think more clearly."

"All right. We won't disturb you," Shunsui grinned. "What about Kai and Ryuu, though? Aren't you going to tell them your stunning news?"

"Of course," Juushirou nodded. "At dinner, most likely, since by then it will have sunk in a little more."

His eyes shone.

"Frightened as I am, I also can't wait to get the bit between my teeth," he admitted. "Seventh District may be hostile, but I'm starting to think, well, bring it on!"

* * *

><p>"I understand what you are saying, Naoko,"<p>

Genryuusai sat back in his seat, eying his young student pensively. She stood firmly before him, her body erect and rigid with both tension and resolve, but as she met his gaze, Naoko wondered whether or not the old man could see through her strength to the doubt and indecision that lay beneath. Impulse had driven her to seek her sensei's guidance, her mind still swirling with the snippets she had overheard of Juushirou and his companions' conversation. In a moment she had seen a potential pathway open up before her - a chance she was frightened to reach out for, yet at the same time did not dare let slide away. She had promised Genryuusai that she would work hard and not give him cause to regret teaching her. Now she had a chance to do just that...and before she had realised it, she had been outside the old oaken door, her curled hand rapping on the wood as she waited to be summoned within.

"In your current position, it's a sensible suggestion and one I won't dismiss," the old man continued now, "however, it is not for me to deploy you to any division, let alone a new one. That is a decision for the Captain to make - and the Captain is not me."

Naoko bit her lip, nodding her head slowly.

"I...suppose I know that," she admitted awkwardly, twisting her fingers together as she spoke. "Sensei, I'm not good at things like that. I mean, asking other people things...like this. I heard them talking already and they did...talk about taking me with them, which is how I know about this, but I...I don't really know what to go and say. They might decide it's a bad idea, and then..."

She faltered, biting down on her lip so hard she could taste blood, and Genryuusai's eyes softened.

"You have already been very brave," he said gently. "I know how many burdens weigh over you at present, Naoko. I understand that you've severed ties with your family to protect them as much as to protect yourself, and you lost someone you considered a dear friend this year. I know that you've had to sleep alone in that room, knowing her bed was empty because of what happened in the Real World and understanding that she was never coming back. You've not run away from me, my dear, however much turmoil you've gone through. I'm very proud of you for that - and I believe the Shikibu Naoko I first admitted here in the beginning would have struggled to find some of the strength you've found to stand here like this today. You shouldn't underestimate what skills and abilities you have to offer a squad. You are a fine graduate and you will make a Captain proud - although that Captain won't be one of your kin. That's been the hardest step to take, I think, for you. Your admission that you aren't an Unohana by anything more than blood...it shames you, doesn't it?"

"It always has, a little," Naoko acknowledged, running her fingers through her thick mane of reddish auburn hair. "I always knew I wasn't...like them. When I met Mitsuki, in a way, it was a relief because she wasn't like her Clan, either. It made me think, well, maybe this happens sometimes. I never really thought about what it meant long term, though."

She touched the hilt of her sword, then,

"Dokusou Houshi is designed to kill things," she said bitterly. "I know that the deaths of those Yamamoto weren't my fault and I've accepted that, but I can't change what nature my sword has. Aizen controlled me, but he used my skills to hurt those people all the same. I couldn't save Suzuno because there is only death in my blade, not life."

"You have no interest in healing the sick, though, do you?" Genryuusai probed softly, and Naoko shook her head.

"No, but its as you say," she sighed heavily. "Understanding that I'm not an Unohana and accepting that it means my future is outside my Clan...those things are hard to do. Unlike Mitsuki, I can't beg sanctuary with any other Clan. Mitsuki's skills are exceptional and of course Retsu-sama would want her. Mine...I'm not bad with my sword, but there are thousands of shinigami with combat potential, probably that outstrips mine. That's why I thought..."

"You must address your thoughts to Ukitake, Naoko," Genryuusai held up his hands. "If he chooses to accept you, then I will not do anything to prevent it. I happen to think that it's an excellent idea, but it isn't my judgement that is needed. You must understand that, when graduation comes, people's positions change. Ukitake Juushirou is not a Clansman nor will he be a Clan shinigami Captain. By going to his squad, you would be renouncing your own Clan connections, too."

"What Clan connections?" Naoko grimaced. "I already severed those, didn't I?"

"I meant...well, for want of a better word, your perceptions," Genryuusai stroked his beard slowly. "Houjou Enishi has also chosen to go with Juushirou, but I have no concerns at all about his ability to do so. He has never been Clan minded - he's far too practical a young man to care about rank and status. You...you are different, though. You were raised as a _hime_and I know..."

"Sensei, the Clans don't want me," Naoko's voice shook slightly as she made this confession. "None of them do - none of them will. I know that. A_ hime _who separates herself from her Clan and self-exiles like I have isn't going to be welcomed anywhere else as a daughter of high birth. I'm not used to looking at things like Houjou-kun does, true enough, nor am I totally sure about what it means to belong to the Districts. The thing is, though, by leaving the Unohana, I...I'm no better than anyone from the Districts anyway, am I? I can't...I shouldn't..."

She faltered, and Genryuusai got to his feet, resting his hand gently on her trembling arm.

"You were never better than anyone from the Districts, nor were you worse," he said gravely. "They are your equals in power and ability, in focus and in drive. If you were to go to Seventh with Ukitake, you would understand how much prejudice Clans can unleash on their lower born companions...your job would be to defend and inspire them, and, most likely, take sides against Clan values. If you truly believe you can do that, Naoko, then you must talk to Ukitake about Seventh District and Thirteenth Division. That is all I can say to you - the rest lies with you."

Naoko gazed at her teacher for a moment, then, very slowly, she bowed her head, the tension seeping out of her as apprehension melted into resignation.

"Yes, sensei," she murmured. "I understand...I'll do that, then."

"Good girl," Genryuusai squeezed her arm briefly, offering her the faintest hint of a smile from beneath his heavy moustache. "Give it some thought, and do what's right, understand?"

"I already know what's right, sir," Naoko raised her head, fresh resolve burning in her greenish eyes. "Thank you for talking to me. I'll go sort things out for myself, now."

She turned to the door, sliding it back and stopping dead as she met Sora's incredulous gaze from the other side of the hall.

"Naoko!" Sora was the first to react, then, "I've been looking all over for you, but you've been here all the time...did you get the message from someone else that Sensei wanted you?"

"I came to see him on my own," Naoko shook her head, looking surprised. "I'm sorry, I didn't realise..."

"Come on in, Sora. Naoko, you may go," Genryuusai's voice echoed from the office beyond and Sora flushed, nodding her head.

"Yes, Sensei," she agreed, skipping past her friend and into the room proper. As she did so, she cast Naoko a glance.

"We'll talk, later," she said, and Naoko could see the burning concern in the other girl's eyes. "In the dorm...okay?"

"Okay," Naoko offered her friend a slight smile, comforted by the genuine feeling in Sora's gaze. "I'll see you later."

With that she was gone, hurrying off along the hall in the direction of the Senior Annexe.

_I have to speak to Ukitake-kun. Bow my head to him and ask...but Sensei's right. I do need to do it that way. If I intend on joining the District division, it means acknowledging Ukitake-kun as my superior officer and that means I have to be willing to bow to him. Accept him. Can I do that? He's not Clan and I've always...but now things are changing. I have to change with them, else I'll be swept away and lost. _

So deep in thought was she that she failed to see two second year students, who yelped and jumped out of her path, shooting her dark glowers for not looking where she was going. She paid them not a shred of attention, instead taking the stairs two at a time as she worked out what best to say.  
><em><br>Seventh District is an odious place full of odious people. I won't pretend I've ever thought otherwise, and the idea of going near it makes my skin crawl. That said, though, shinigami often go to places and do things that aren't comfortable and easy. Mitsuki went to Rukongai, and that's got to be worse than anything else. Mitsuki..._

She paused, drawing to her mind her friend's face as they had helped her packing her belongings that last night.

"If I can make a difference, I'll go where I can," she had said, her words soft and shaky but sincere. "I hate leaving Juushirou, but he doesn't need me as much as the people in Rukongai might."

"Nao and I will look after Juushirou. You just do what you need to," Sora had responded, and as she remembered this dialogue, a faint, rueful smile spread across Naoko's lips.  
><em><br>Well, that decides it then, doesn't it? I really do need to bow my head to Ukitake-kun and hope he accepts my way of seeing things. If I go to Seventh, I can keep Sora's promise to Mitsuki better than she will, and that way I can at least repay Mi-chan a little of the kindness she showed me after Suzuno died. I never gave Mitsuki's affection for Ukitake-kun enough credence to begin with, and I caused them problems. What better way to atone for that by going with him to a hellhole and making sure nothing prevents him from doing his job? Mitsuki might not be able to be here to keep him safe, and I might not be a healer - but I can definitely put those stuck up Endou in their place, and if it comes to it..._

As she rounded the corner, her thoughts stopped abruptly as she collided headfirst with someone, sending herself tumbling to the ground. The other person let out an exclamation of dismay, and Naoko found a thin, pale hand coming down towards her to pull her back to her feet.

"I'm sorry, Shikibu-san - I guess my thoughts were somewhere else. Are you all right?"

Naoko gazed up into Juushirou's concerned hazel eyes, and for a moment she stared at him, half wondering if her thoughts had been broadcast out loud and had brought him to her.

"Shikibu-san?" Juushirou's expression had become one of nonplussed confusion, now, and despite herself something in his look struck Naoko as funny. She burst out laughing, reaching to grasp his hand and allowing him to help her to her feet.

"Are you all right?" Juushirou repeated his question, gazing at her in undisguised consternation. "You didn't hit your head or anything? I wasn't really watching where I was going, and..."

"Nor was I," Naoko got herself under control, releasing her hold on his arm and brushing down her uniform ruefully. "I'm fine, Ukitake-kun. Thank you. I'm sorry if I startled you - the fact is, I was just going to come and speak to you, and you appeared out of nowhere. I almost wondered if you'd heard my thoughts."

"You were looking for me?" Juushirou's brows knitted together, and Naoko saw a mixture of emotions flit through his clever gaze. "I was going to the library to try and write my speech for tomorrow - but Sora was on the hunt for you. Sensei wanted to speak to you..."

"I know. I've been to see him," Naoko assured him, and Juushirou looked relieved.

"Oh? Oh, good," he reflected. "Then...are you settled? I mean..you know...after graduation?"

Naoko eyed him for a moment, then, slowly, she shook her head.

"Not entirely," she admitted. "Ukitake-kun, I'll be honest with you. I overheard you talking to Hirata and Houjou-kun in the hall - in truth, I heard you talking a little bit about me."

"Oh." Juushirou's cheeks reddened awkwardly, and Naoko offered him a dry smile.

"You were talking about the assignment Sensei and the Council have given you," she continued carefully. "It's all right. I'm not offended by anything any of you said. The truth is I was looking for you for that reason...to discuss it with you, if I may."

"To discuss it?" Juushirou's eyes became thoughtful slits, then he nodded. "I suppose so. I was going to talk to you later if I could, so it suits me too. Will you come with me to the library? I think it's the quietest place at the moment, since most classes are out now term is about to end and nobody's going to be thinking of assignments with the spring break almost here."

"With pleasure," Naoko nodded, falling into step with her younger companion as they made their way towards the library. "I should congratulate you, by the way. Sensei filled in the details about what exactly you've agreed to do. It sounds completely insane, but a big honour nonetheless."

"It's not bad for a kid from the coast of District Six," Juushirou agreed with a sheepish smile. "It's sinking in, bit by bit. I'm trying to get my head around all the implications, but it's hard to do. The Council want me to do this, so I don't think I'm going to be up against the Clans as much as maybe in the past, but going to Seventh..."

"The Endou are unpleasant," Naoko said categorically. "Hirata aside, Ukitake-kun, they are. There's no mistaking that. Still, you've been to Seventh, haven't you? You must know what to expect there."

"Yes. Yes, I have," Juushirou's expression shadowed for a moment, then he nodded. "For that reason, I suppose, I agreed to go back. My memories there are not good, but that means there are things that need to be put right. If I can put them right, then it's up to me to go. I can't complain about something if I'm not willing to do anything to change it."

"That's why Sensei chose you, then," Naoko said lightly, and Juushirou eyed her pensively, resting his hand on the library door.

"Are you really all right with the idea?" he asked softly. "A District shinigami becoming a Captain after just graduating the Academy?"

"Is that what you think?" Naoko stared at him, and Juushirou shrugged.

"I don't know," he admitted awkwardly, pushing the door back and leading the way inside. "Sometimes it's hard to be sure what you think about me, Shikibu-san. I know you didn't really approve of my fondness for Mitsuki, and, well..."

"I should apologise for that," Naoko flushed scarlet, holding up her hands. "I had no business getting involved between the two of you and I regret it. That's the truth. I've come to understand a lot of things in the last few months, Ukitake-kun. Since Suzuno died...and...well, everything else..."

She sighed, rubbing her temples as a dull ache spread across her brow.

"Mitsuki is one of the people I love most," she murmured. "I let her down, but she still came through for me. Without Mitsuki and Sora, I wouldn't still be here. I owe them both everything...much more than I can ever repay. Mitsuki is a lot stronger than I thought she was...and a lot stronger than I've been, knowing what she wants and what she needs to do. You're a lot like her in that respect, Ukitake-kun. I know you're missing her horribly, but you're still turning your mind to the task ahead."

"Mitsuki and I both have too much to do to give in to selfish emotions," Juushirou said matter-of-factly, though there was a fleeting flicker of pain in the hazel eyes that disappeared almost as soon as it was there. "You didn't want to talk to me about that, though, surely? This isn't about Mitsuki, is it?"

"Not really, no," Naoko admitted,as Juushirou led the way across the room to a quiet alcove, taking a seat beside the window and indicating for his companion to join him. Naoko hesitated for a moment, then shook her head, moving to stand before him and bowing her head soberly in his direction.

"Shikibu-san?" Juushirou stared at her blankly, unable to comprehend her behaviour, and Naoko swallowed hard, summoning her courage and squashing down her pride.

"Ukitake-kun, I heard you, Houjou-kun and Hirata talking about me and whether I'd be of any use to you in District Seven," she said softly, her throat becoming dry as she forced the words between her lips. "I...I know that there's no real reason for you to want me, nor do you need me, but I...I would like to ask you...as...as Captain of the Thirteenth Division, whether you...would allow me to...to come with you. As...as a member, I mean, of your...your new squad."

Complete silence greeted her question, and she clenched and unclenched her fists at her side, trying to keep her anxiety in check. She did not dare raise her head, however, so it seemed like an age passed before she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't bow like that," Juushirou's voice was soft, and she raised her head, meeting his troubled gaze with her own hazy one. "We're classmates, Shikibu-san - you're older than me, and Clan, and..."

"I'm not a Clan_ hime_ any more. I've severed those ties," Naoko shook her head firmly. "You're going to be a Captain, Ukitake-kun. A Captain is someone who...regardless of age or birth...demands respect. I needed to ask you properly...please don't undermine my doing so. I've thought about this and talked to Sensei and he said that the final decision lies with the Captain. That's you - and just because we're classmates, it doesn't mean I can take liberties."

"Shikibu-san..." Juushirou was lost for words for a moment, then a warm grin crossed his features, and Naoko felt him curl his pale hand around her right one, shaking it firmly before letting it go.

"I'm glad you came and asked me, then," he said honestly. "Enishi and Hirata and I already decided we wanted you to come, but not if you didn't want it. We think that having you in Seventh would be an asset - not just with your sword skills, but also to teach the Endou that girls can hold swords and fight Hollows too. If I'm going to upset people, I might as well do it wholesale and go for everything I want, so you'll have to be prepared to be hated. It's probable that they'll want to kill us, and you might make yourself a target by coming too - but if you really think you want to come, we'll have you with pleasure."

"Really?" Naoko reeled, suddenly giddy with relief as the truth of Juushirou's words seeped into her system. "You're sure about that, Ukitake-kun? You want to..."

"We do. Enishi in particular has great plans for your sword already, if you listen to him talk," Juushirou's grin widened, and he gestured for her to sit down. "So it's settled and no more bowing, all right? Sit and we'll talk out whatever you want to know about it - to be honest, the more allies I take with me, the better I feel about the whole project, and I'm pretty sure you're an ally I want to have."

"Thank you," Naoko returned the smile with a surprised one of her own, obediently taking a seat as Juushirou resumed his own. "I didn't think it would be so easy. Sensei said I had to ask you, but I wasn't sure..."

She sighed, glancing at her hands.

"I have trouble, sometimes, in bowing my head and battling my pride," she said honestly. "I'm not under any illusions, though. I know that this is a District squad. I don't expect any Clan favours, or anything like that. I'll work as hard as I can to earn my place, I promise."

"I don't doubt that," Juushirou assured her. "We'll go, and see what needs doing, and then we'll try our best to work out how to achieve it. It's a massive job, but at least I can say I won't be bored while Mitsuki is out in the wilderness."

"Sora promised Mitsuki, when she left, that we'd keep an eye on you and make sure you didn't get killed while she was away," Naoko admitted, resting her chin in her hands. "It isn't the main reason I asked to come with you, Ukitake-kun, but I intend on keeping that promise as best I can. It's one thing I can do to repay Mitsuki, and since she's gone to fill my space as healer, it's the least I can do in return."

"Mitsuki's lucky she has you and Sora as friends," Juushirou's eyes softened. "I'm sure she'll come back, though, and I don't intend on dying before that happens. I'm planning on a long life, if I can manage it, so no matter how long she's in Rukongai, we'll definitely meet again."

"I think you will," Naoko agreed. "When you let her go, I guess, I understood how much she meant to you. If you're willing to wait as long as it takes, then probably, you'll see her again and it'll all be worth it. In the meantime, we'll rip sense into those stupid Endou, and that will kill time."

Juushirou laughed.

"You're sure you want to be surrounded by the stupid Endou?" he asked teasingly, and Naoko nodded, her gaze brightening.

"Can't think of a better way to let off stress than that," she owned.

"Well, then I'm glad to welcome you to Thirteenth Division, Shikibu-san," Juushirou's eyes were warm, and Naoko realised with relief that his words were sincere. "With you being my fourth member, that will make you my fourth seated officer, so I'll be relying on you to poke and prod where necessary."

"Yes, sir," Naoko raised her hand in a playful mock salute, her heart suddenly lighter than it had been since she the night she had cradled Suzuno's bloody body in her arms. "There is one other thing, though. You've always addressed me with the utmost respect, even when Kyouraku-kun hasn't, and I appreciate that - but things have changed now. I'm going to be your subordinate, and I'm fully prepared to prove that I deserve my rank. You call both Mitsuki and Sora by their first names. If you're going to be my squad Captain from hereon in, I'd like it if you'd do the same for me. My connection to the Shikibu family and the Unohana Clan is past, and the name is just a name I carry, now. Please, Ukitake-kun. I'd prefer it if from now on you called me as you call them - just Naoko."

Juushirou paused, eying her keenly for a moment, then he smiled, inclining his head in agreement.

"All right," he agreed. "Naoko it is."

He slipped his fingers into his _obi_, pulling out his writing materials and a sheet of spare parchment.

"Your first duty, then, is to help your Captain make sense of everything and pen a decent speech," he added mischievously, shooting her a playful grin. "I want to make sure that Yamamoto-kun has nothing to sneer about when I take the podium and open the ceremony, so I'd appreciate your help."

"With pleasure," Naoko dimpled, nodding her head, "though I don't think that even Yamamoto-kun will be able to sneer too much, not when you have the _haori_ of Thirteenth Division hanging about your shoulders!"


	7. Chapter 7

**~Seven~**

"People are already arriving!"

Enishi leaned his head out of the window with an excited exclamation, pushing the shutters back as far as he could in order to see more clearly the carriages that were beginning to gather with startling frequency in the school courtyard. "It's gonna be a fine day for it, too - no rain, thank goodness! Nothing worse than graduating with a soggy _shihakushou_- not the kind of impression you want to make when you receive your honours!"

"Enishi, how old are you?" Shunsui rolled his eyes, grabbing his classmate by the sleeve of his aforementioned black shinigami uniform and physically hauling him back. "You're yelling and shouting like an excited seven year old and people are going to hear you. We get it already, all right? People are gathering - well, if they weren't, there'd be a problem, since today's our graduation and it would be rude if nobody turned up after we've worked so hard."

"I don't recall you working particularly hard at any point, Kyouraku," Ryuu raised his gaze from the book he was reading in the corner, apparently completely calm despite the fluster going on around him. "You seem to have coasted and napped through most of the last five years, if I remember correctly."

"That's a fine thing to say to a future Captain and someone who topped the class rankings, Kuchiki Ryuu," Shunsui pretended to be offended, and Enishi let out an appreciative chuckle. "You just don't understand that I worked so hard I had to take time out to sleep so that my brain recovered. Really, it was very stressful - I' m hurt that you don't think more of me."

"Mmhm," Ryuu arched an eyebrow, fixing Shunsui with a pointed look for a moment, then turned his gaze back to the volume in his hand. "Well, providing Tokutarou-sama is satisfied, I suppose it will have to do."

It was the day of graduation, and the Senior Class had been up and buzzing since dawn. Even Shunsui, who had been dragged forcibly from his bed by a persistent Hirata was ready and robed in the smart black and white _shihakushou _that each had been presented with the night before. These were usually gifted to them by the Clans and divisions they would soon be belonging to, as every black uniform was minutely stitched with some tiny mark to identify what squad had issued it, but to the unexperienced eye the Senior study was simply filled with a gaggle of new shinigami, excited and full of anticipation for the day ahead.

"Enishi's right about one thing, though. The weather is beautiful," Juushirou slipped into the space vacated by his broad friend, resting his hands on the sill as he gazed out over the grounds below. "It was so windy last night I wasn't sure what kind of day we were going to get, but even though there's a nip in the air, it's fresh and bright. Just the right day for a graduation ceremony."

"Especially since the whole bit after the ceremony is usually held outside," Kai put in ruefully, retying his _obi_ for the fifth time and gazing at it critically. "I have no idea what Aneue had this stuff made from, but the wretched thing keeps slipping loose."

"Maybe she had it polished or waxed before she sent it to you," Shunsui teased, and Kai snorted.

"What would be the point of that?" he demanded playfully. "Don't be stupid, it's not that. Just, I hate wearing brand new cloth. It never gives like it should and it's always a pain to fasten."

"You sound like a disgruntled housewife," Sora grinned, smoothing down her own uniform. "I think it's kinda cool, seeing everyone dressed this way. It makes it all real, after five years of white and red - we're finally real shinigami, aren't we?"

"We are," Naoko gazed at her own uniform pensively. "All of us. Though after today, we'll be all over the place, Sora. Split up between different squads and in different areas. The base in Inner Seireitei for the Gotei is still being put together, and with so much space to cover, it might be a while before we're all together again."

"You're all right, though," Kai pointed out. "You're going with three people you know, and Sora's with Kyouraku, so she's not on her own either. Not that I mind going back to my Clan, but Aneue had a rather scary glint in her eye last winter break when we were talking about the Onmitsukidou and how she wanted to get it set up - I'm not quite sure what I'm going to be plunged into, but I'm pretty sure it'll be hard graft."

"It all worked out well for all of us, in the end," Juushirou reflected. "Everyone has a place to go. We'll keep in touch though, right, everyone? Even if we don't have time to write every week or even every month, surely we'll still manage to keep in contact one way or another?"

"We will," Shunsui said firmly, nodding his head. "As much as we can, and probably, Juu, till you're sick of hearing from me. We got this far together - it would be cold to call it quits and sever contact."

He pursed his lips, looking sheepish as Sora sent a dark glare his way.

"Mitsuki excepted, because she's under different communication rules from us," he amended quickly. "Nobody's going to blame her if she can't write, but at least we know she got there safely."

"Mitsuki will be okay," Sora agreed. "I wish she was here with us, she should have been, and it feels odd without her. This is what she wanted, though, so even though she isn't here in body, she is in spirit. She still graduated, just like all of us."

"She did, and she'll do Rukongai proud," Juushirou said firmly, in tones that made it quite clear he wanted to change the subject. "Has anyone seen Yamamoto-kun or the others yet this morning, by the way? Enishi, you room with Souryou-kun - do you know where they are?"

"Mm," Enishi nodded, offering a rueful grin. "Akira's father came early, and dragged him away. Souryou and Michihashi went with, I think, since they've all known Akira a long time and are on good terms with Hashihiko-sama."

"Your head of Clan is here, but you didn't go with them?" Kai eyed his tall friend quizzically, and Enishi shrugged.

"Better to keep a wide berth for now," he said wisely, "seeing as I turned down a Clansman's offer in favour of Ukitake. Far as I understand it, Hashihiko-sama's pretty okay with the whole deal - quite proud, in fact, that one of his kin is going to be involved in what the Council are calling, 'progressive movements in Gotei structure', but it's still a bit awkward for me to go down there when I'm sure there's been a lot of words said."

"Enishi's learning discretion!" Shunsui teased, patting the tall boy on the back. "I guess becoming a Vice Captain does that to you, huh?"

"Shut up," Enishi glowered at him, but there was a good-natured smile beneath the disapproval. "I'm not just a thick lump of muscle who's blind to everything, you know."

"Shunsui's just teasing," Juushirou assured him. "Your family are okay with it, though? You coming with us, I mean...your Father took it okay?"

"Pleased at punch, according to Sensei," Enishi agreed. "I dunno what was said, of course, to explain it, but Genryuusai-sensei told me that my Pa was all for it."

"Most probably Sensei spent some time outlining to him how you were far more valuable a shinigami to the Gotei than becoming the lackey of Minachi Atsushi," Ryuu put in acerbically, lowering his book onto his lap and closing it, leaving his thumb in the page he had been reading so as he did not lose his place. "Besides, Ukitake probably needs you more. Seventh District is full of heathens - no offence, Hirata - and it will require brute force to tame their savage ways."

"I ought to take offence, but I think you're probably right," Hirata grimaced wryly, running his fingers through his fine dark hair. He had elected to wear it loose for once, and had chosen to discard his spectacles, as the general consensus from among his peers was that he looked older without them. Juushirou had promised to make sure he didn't fall over anything that his vision was too poor to bring into focus clearly, and so a hint of vanity had forced his decision, not wanting to appear a child in front of so many important Clan figures.

"My family are quite savage," he agreed now, "and I'm glad we're taking Houjou-kun with us. With him and Juushirou-kun and Shikibu-san, my kinsfolk won't know what's hit them. We might even make shinigami out of some of them - who knows?"

"Greater miracles have happened, though scarce few," Ryuu remarked. "Now, will you all pipe down a while? I should like to complete this chapter before we're summoned to greet our kin in proper fashion, and I still have a few pages remaining."

"Why are you so laid back about all of this?" Kai shot his roommate a suspicious look. "This morning, you weren't in any particular hurry to get to breakfast and you had absolutely zero interest in changing into _shihakushou _once we'd done, even when the rest of us were straining at the bit to do it. What gives, Kuchiki? Don't you care about this at all?"

"Maybe he's missing Mitsuki, too," Sora suggested, and Ryuu sighed, shaking his head in irritation.

"I am quite as resigned to my cousin's absence as you are, Sora, so please don't make assumptions," he said wearily, apparently realising he was not going to be allowed to complete his chapter, for he placed the book on the table, getting to his feet and approaching the window. "I am also have quite as much anticipation for today's ceremony as the rest of you - but unlike you, I do not believe in showing childish levels of emotion about what is merely the start of our future lives."

"Ryuu..." Juushirou blinked, and Shunsui pressed his lips together thoughtfully.

"Seiren-dono isn't well enough to come and see you graduate, is he?" he asked softly, and Ryuu jerked as if stung, turning to face his friend with a look of such stricken dismay it was clear that Shunsui had hit the nail on the head. "Mm, I thought so. The rest of us have family coming - at least, Juu, I assume someone from yours is coming too? But Ryuu might not. No wonder he's down - Mitsuki's not here, and now..."

"Ryuu, is that true?" Juushirou was startled, concern flooding his gaze, and Ryuu sighed, shrugging his shoulders.

"It is of no import," he said, in tones that clearly said the opposite, "and it has no bearing on your day or anyone else's. Ukitake, has someone come from your family? I can't imagine they would not."

"Okaasama promised she at least would come, and maybe one or two of the others, if it could be managed," Juushirou agreed, "but that's not the point. If you don't have family here..."

"Shikibu does not, either," Ryuu pointed out softly, and Naoko pursed her lips.

"I do," she said pensively. "Retsu-sama will be here - even though I've left her Clan, she made it clear to me that she hasn't forsaken me as her kinswoman and never will. Kazoe-sensei is here, too. He and I have always got on well, so it won't be completely like I'm on my own."

"I don't think Kuchiki will be either," Enishi interjected, glancing out of the window. "That's definitely a District Six carriage, though I'll be damned if I know what part of the Clan it belongs to."

"District Six?" Despite himself, Ryuu's eyes almost bugged out of his head, and only the years of inbred Kuchiki decorum prevented him from running to his friend's side. He moved at speed, however, gripping the sill with white fingers as he followed his friend's gesture.

"There," Enishi said frankly. "I'm right, aren't I? That one belongs to you."

"Oniisama?" Ryuu's lips moved almost of their own accord, and Juushirou blinked, sending him a confused glance.

"Onii...sama? Ryuu, you don't have any brothers...right?"

"Not exactly, no," Ryuu turned, offering his friend a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry, I'm being inarticulate, aren't I?"

"First time for everything," Kai observed laconically. "Ukitake, Ryuu probably means that it's the crest of one of his brothers-in-law. His sisters are all married, I think, and three of them are older than he is - am I right?"

"Kai is correct," Ryuu inclined his head slightly in agreement, before turning back to the window. "This carriage belongs to the husband of my sister Murasaki, at whose home my father has been convalescent. My sister is due to birth a child any time soon, so I don't believe she would attend, but perhaps my brother in law has..."

He trailed off, his eyes becoming huge, and at his sudden silence, Juushirou hurried to his side, casting an anxious glance at the boy's pallor.

"Ryuu? Ryuu, what is it?"

"Seiren-sama." It was Kai who answered first, peering around Ryuu's other side to the ground below. "Looks like you underestimated your father's will to be here, Kuchiki. I'll take note and make myself scarce as I can during the ceremony, since he doesn't look in any state to deal with another Shihouin shock."

"_That's _Seiren-dono? Kuchiki's father?" Enishi blinked. "But I thought he was all invalided and wasn't coming...isn't that what you said?"

"_Father_!" Ryuu wasn't listening, and before any of his companions could stop him, he had fled the room, the door banging carelessly behind him. There was a moment of silence, and the remaining Seniors exchanged looks.

"I didn't realise Kuchiki was that close to his father," it was Sora who broke the silence, and Kai became grave.

"Since everything happened, it's been different," he said knowledgeably. "I haven't asked questions - not my place - but you can tell."

"Mm, he's said as much to me, too," Juushirou nodded, peering down at the frail figure being helped to make the short walk across the cobbles to the main entrance by a younger man, presumably Ryuu's older brother in law. "He feels he's gained a father, and I know he's been afraid of Seiren-dono dying. He's been very ill, you guys - it's not surprising that Ryuu didn't expect him to be here."

"But more than anything, it's Seiren-dono that Ryuu wants to see him graduate," Shunsui murmured. "I get it, you know. Even if they haven't had the best rapport ever, it makes sense."

"It does," Juushirou's expression became sombre. "I would love to have Father see me graduate, since all of this was his idea. I'm glad Seiren-dono managed to come. It obviously means a lot to Ryuu to have him here."

"Should we do anything about Kuchiki-kun?" Naoko asked softly. "We're not meant to go down there till we're summoned."

"No, let him go," Juushirou shook his head. "Sensei will understand."

"We could go down, too, and then it'd stand out less that he'd gone off like that," Enishi suggested. "We could always say we thought it was time - couldn't we?"

"Sounds like a plan to me," Shunsui nodded. "I haven't seen Tokutarou-sama's carriage yet, but I'm happy to go stretch my legs if we're breaking rules for Ryuu's sake. Besides, I'm curious to see who is coming from Juu's family. I can't imagine it will just be Kaede-dono, and I've always wanted to see the Academy invaded by the Ukitake chibis."

"They're mostly not so chibi now as when you first met them," Juushirou warned with a laugh, straightening his _obi_then heading towards the door. "We'll go, though. I'm not sure how they're getting here, but I'm sure someone will come, and they'll be happy to see you too. They seem to consider you honorary family, half the time."

"None of us have met much of Ukitake's family, come to think of it," Enishi ruminated, as the group of seven made their way down the main stairs towards the front courtyard, which was growing busier by the minute. "I'm curious t'meet all these little ones, to tell the truth."

"I don't think they'll all be here," Juushirou warned. "It's a long way and expensive even for Okaasama to come along, so it might just be her."

"Somehow I get the feeling it won't be," Shunsui's eyes twinkled. "The Ukitake clan moves strongest when it's en masse - I predict an invasion, and I'd very much like to see it first hand."

"We shouldn't hang around here, then," Sora put in. "I'm as curious as Shunsui to see this, so let's go catch up with Kuchiki and make an entrance!"

* * *

><p>Ryuu hurried along the main corridor, almost skidding around the corner in his haste to reach the lower landing and slip out of the main entrance before any of the busy Academy staff could catch him and send him back upstairs. Conspicuous in the black and white of a graduating shinigami, at the sound of voices he ducked into a classroom, putting his hand to his chest as though the racing beat of his heart was audible to those in the hallway beyond. It was not like him to voluntarily break rules or go against instructions without the coercement of his more mischievous classmates, but the moment he had recognised Seiren's frail form from the study window, all thought of stopping behind had gone out of his head.<p>

_Father came. He came to see me, even though he's barely fit to walk._

Ryuu waited impatiently behind the door of the deserted Hohou room, listening until the sound of footsteps died away. Cautiously he peered out around the divide, making sure the coast was clear before continuing his descent. Seiren was almost certainly going straight to the Great Hall, he realised, where there would be seats and the man could rest, and Ryuu knew only too well that Genryuusai was already there, overseeing the final preparations for the ceremony that would begin shortly. Graduands were meant to behave with decorum and respect during this time, not run around the halls like lost first years, and Ryuu had every idea of what would be said to him if he was to burst in on the chamber uninvited.

_I need to see Father, though. I must thank him for coming, and I must...I must make sure he is all right._

To think was to act, and as Ryuu drew closer to the Great Hall, he could hear the dull murmur of voices, telling him that more than just his headmaster lay beyond that door. Steeling himself for the scolding he knew he was about to receive, Ryuu slid back the door cautiously, peering inside for any sign of his father's familiar white and green attire. Genryuusai was not present, he realised with palpable relief. The old man must have gone to run some other errand, and so for the time being his coast was clear.

A flash of emerald caught his eye from a far corner, and he turned, relief and apprehension flooding his young gaze as he made out his brother-in-law's tall, lean form. Beyond him, already sitting in one of the elaborate seats pulled out once a year for guests of the ceremony was the thinner figure of his ailing father, and Ryuu made up his mind.  
><em><br>If I am scolded, so be it. A scolding will not prevent me from graduating, and sometimes, some things are more important than holding one's pride._

"What are you doing down here, Kuchiki?"

He was half way across the chamber before Kazoe's voice made him jump, and a firm hand grabbed him by the shoulder, swinging him around to face the quizzical Kidou instructor. "It's not like you to break rules - you are aware that the Seniors are meant to stay in their study until summoned? They're certainly not allowed to parade in and out of the Great Hall at whim - you're not meant to be in this room until summoned for the ceremony, and you should know it as well as anyone."

"Yes, sir. I'm sorry, sir." Ryuu's face coloured, and he bowed his head. "I realise it's insubordinate, sir, especially today of all days - but I saw my Father had arrived, and..."

"There is a time and a place for greeting loved ones, and that is the courtyard," Kazoe arched an eyebrow. "If you must break bounds, surely such greetings can be done out there? It's always been a strict rule, Kuchiki - no graduands are allowed in the Great Hall until the ceremony begins."

"I know...I know, but..." Ryuu faltered, his gaze flitting to where a third man - Shibata, he realised with a jolt - was helping to make sure his father was comfortable. "Father can't stand or walk for long, and I wouldn't leave him outside to do so when here he could rest more easily. Please, Sensei, I know it is irregular, but...for just a few moments, allow me to speak to my father?"

Kazoe eyed him for a moment, then sighed, his expression softening behind his glasses.

"Seiren-dono has been very ill, I realise that," he said quietly. "All right - but only briefly, you understand? Genryuusai-sensei will be back soon, and I don't want to have to explain to him why one of his graduating students is already here when guests are arriving all the time."

"Thank you, sir!" Ryuu's eyes lit up and only years of Kuchiki manners and restraint prevented him from hugging his unsuspecting Kidou instructor. "I promise, I shall be discreet and quick, and then I will return to my companions at once."

"Well, get on with you, before I change my mind," Kazoe responded gruffly. "I don't have time to mollycoddle those who will be squad shinigami from tomorrow, so you'll have to watch out for yourself."

"Yes, sir. I understand," Ryuu bowed his head, sleek tail of black hair slipping over his shoulder, then he turned, making his way purposefully between the milling school servants towards the far side of the hall.

Although in main, Genryuusai did not believe in Clan formality when it came to the graduation of his proteges, the old man had made one concession to the arriving guests, and as Ryuu drew closer to his father's position, he could see that the seats had been drawn from storage especially for the occasion, padded and carved with the crests of the Yamamoto. Privately Ryuu thought they had belonged to the old manor, long before it had been turned into a school, for they were ornate and particularly comfortable - a far cry from the wooden benches or utilitarian cushions that the students generally used the rest of the year around.

Even the Academy could bow its head to the Clan world, he ruminated wryly, even as he approached his family group. On a day like today, with so many illustrious visitors, there was probably little alternative but to pander to expectations.

"Ryuu?"

His brother in law was the first to see him, letting out an exclamation of surprise, and Ryuu smiled, hastening to join them and lowering his head respectfully towards his sister's husband.

"Souhei-niisama," he said politely, "I didn't realise you were coming here today - I trust my sister is in good health?"

"Murasaki is as strong as an ox when it comes to these things, and twice as stubborn," Souhei looked rueful. "You might say I was forcibly kicked from the manor, since she has no time for men fussing in women's business and she would far sooner I made myself useful elsewhere, rather than lingering at home. Besides, it seemed meet that I come here, since there was no way Otousama could come here on his own."

He turned to his companion, who had been busy answering Shibata's questions about his comfort. "Otousama, Ryuu is here."

"Ryuu?" Seiren's head shot up at this, and despite the lines of weariness etched into the other man's face, Ryuu saw the flicker of genuine joy cross the tired grey eyes. He held out a thin hand, and Ryuu hurried to clasp it, meeting the older man's gaze and absorbing every feature carefully.

Seiren's long convalescence was far from over, for he was still very thin and fragile, his dark hair streaked with grey and his worn features implying him to be some several years Guren's elder, as opposed to a matter of minutes. His formal robes, though cleanly pressed and finely woven hung off his delicate frame as though made a size too big, but despite it, the bony fingers that curled around Ryuu's own gripped strongly and with determination, and Ryuu's smile widened.

"Thank you for coming today, Otousama," he said softly. "I was certain you would be prevented, but I am truly happy you were not."

"Ryuu, I intended to come today even if they had to carry me from District Six," Seiren's voice was a little hoarse, but stronger than it had been when Ryuu had left the manor for school, and he gestured for his son to take a seat. Ryuu did so, kneeling on the floor before his father and settling his black uniform carefully against the tatami mats so as not to crease it more than necessary. "Let me look at you, boy - no, I wouldn't have missed this for the world."

"I can't stay long. I shouldn't be down here, but I saw you arrive and, well, I came," Ryuu reddened slightly at this admission. "Kazoe-sensei said I could speak with you briefly, but no more - if Genryuusai-sensei catches me here, I shall doubtless be scolded for breaking rules. I simply wanted to be sure you were in sturdier health, since it has been some months now since I last saw you."

"I am not intending to die any time soon, Ryuu," Seiren's eyes became firm, and Ryuu saw a glimmer of his old, austere father lurking in those weary depths. "I am stronger each day, I assure you, and your sister and brother are taking great care of me, even in your absence. You shouldn't defy your teachers, no matter how concerned you are for my well-being - disobedience is a bad habit to form, and Guren-sama won't have any time for it, when you join with his squad."

"I know. I'm sorry," Ryuu bowed his head penitently. "I was just worried, that's all. It's a long journey from District Six."

"Indeed it is, even through the toll roads," Seiren sighed. "I don't regret it, though. They all tried to talk me out of it - all except your sister, who had the sense to realise when my mind is made up, it seldom changes. Souhei agreed to come with me, to make sure I didn't over-tire myself - but believe me, I am fine."

He rested pale hands on Ryuu's shoulders, meeting his son's gaze seriously.

"I am very proud of you, my boy," he said quietly. "I have not always made it clear enough, and I regret that, but I am grateful to have the opportunity to do so now. Seeing you here, now, robed as you are brings me great pride and great joy. You will be a fine shinigami, and Guren-sama is eager to have you among his squad. He and Shirogane have been very busy, in particular preparing everything for Shirogane's formal adoption ceremony and I am sure they will both be grateful when you are able to join them."

"I only finished seventh, Father," Ryuu admitted awkwardly. "In my first couple of years, I was always in the top three or four, but this last year..."

"Your grades are more my fault than your own, for you spent a lot of time at my side instead of with your books," Seiren shook his head. "You needn't look so troubled about it. Genryuusai-sama has impressed on me already how hard working and diligent you are - I am just as proud of you now as I would have been had you finished top."

"You've spoken to Sensei?" Ryuu blinked, and Souhei chuckled.

"First person he wanted to accost, when we arrived here," he said pragmatically. "Isn't that right, Otousama? Shibata and I wanted him to sit down and take the weight from his feet, but he wouldn't think of it till he'd asked Genryuusai-sama about his son's progress."

"One becomes ill and immediately the boundaries of respect and deference between father and son-in-law take a hit," Seiren cast Souhei a glower, but Ryuu knew that there was little genuine resentment in his father's words. On the contrary, as he gazed between the two men, Ryuu realised that Seiren's ill health had helped form stronger bonds between them.

"Our family feels more like a family, all of a sudden," he murmured, more than half to himself, but Seiren caught his words and nodded his head.

"More than it has ever been, I expect," he agreed. "Ryuu, there has been no word at all from your mother. Murasaki has written to her, but has had no reply except a brief note from Kinka to say that she is well. I don't believe she will come today - and even when the rebuilding work on our manor is complete, there is no chance of her returning home. I am sorry, my son - some things I suppose cannot be forgiven."

"Mother and I never really had that kind of relationship," Ryuu said honestly. "So long as she is well, that is my main concern."

"Murasaki is vexed about this idea of taking sides between her parents," Souhei remarked, "but to me it seems like the best solution for everyone. Okaasama is not well suited to a house under reconstruction and, whilst we would of course welcome her at our own, I don't believe having a soon-to-be newborn baby around would be any good for her nerves."

Ryuu shot Souhei a sharp glance, but his brother-in-law's expression was impassive, giving nothing away.

"Perhaps I shall write to Mother, when I return to the Clan proper," he said at length. "I shall tell her about my graduation and make it clear to her that whatever occurs between her and you, Father, I am still her son as well as yours. If she chooses not to write back, then that will be her decision. I am content with things how they currently are, and will not ask from her what she cannot give."

He cast a glance towards the door.

"I should return," he said reluctantly, "but I will have much to say to you after, I am sure. I hope you will be able to stay a little while?"

"We are likely to remain here a day or two, so that Otousama can rest before we make the trip back," Souhei inclined his head. "It's been arranged with the Yamamoto, so yes, Ryuu, we will be here. Murasaki is strongly hoping that our child will be born in my absence, so she is quite happy for me to be away a few days with her so close to being due. All in all, I can fulfil my filial duty to my father in law, and she has me out of her way."

"Perhaps I can travel back with you, then?" Ryuu suggested, and Seiren nodded.

"With luck, I trust so," he agreed. "You should go, though, before you get yourself into trouble."

"I'll come with you a little way, if I may," Souhei suggested, and Ryuu looked startled, but nodded his head. He got to his feet, allowing the older man to shadow him back across the floor towards the main entrance of the hall.

"Father is well, Oniisama, is he not?" he asked softly, once they were out of earshot, and Souhei nodded.

"As well as can be expected, and better than many of his physicians anticipated," he agreed wryly. "Otousama is a very strong man, Ryuu. Very obstinate and very resolute, even when his opponent is death. He has never had any intention of losing his life, not even when so many people worried about him, and he sees no risk to himself at all in coming here like this. I believe he will recover, bit by bit, and probably outlive us all."

Ryuu turned to glance across the room to where the grey-peppered head of his father and the dark one of Shibata were once more bent in conversation. He smiled, nodding.

"I am glad," he said sincerely. "I don't feel I really knew him, not till all of this - it would have been awful to have lost him and never known all the things I do now."

"I'm pretty sure he feels that way too, where you're concerned," Souhei pursed his lips, then, "I'm careful what I say before your sister, Ryuu, but the way your mother's treated him and the whole business has been shameful. I have no intention of ever allowing her in my house, no matter what happens, even if it makes Murasaki cry. I think there's very little likelihood of this breach being healed. Your sisters - Kinka and the others - they're not turning against you or against Murasaki, but they've done little more than ask polite questions about Otousama's health. What Okaasama's told them, I don't know - I just think you should be prepared that your family isn't going to be quite how it once was."

"I have nothing to say to Mother, not really," Ryuu said matter-of-factly. "To her I'm a political tool, and since I've renounced my claim to the Clan, I'm sure she has no further interest in me. I am content with things as they are, Oniisama. Thank you for the warning, but really, I have no complaints. I will come back to District Six, take up my duties there and do my best to be a good son and a good shinigami, as all Kuchiki should. That is my resolve - and I am quite as determined as my father, where matters of loyalty and duty are concerned."

"So you are," Souhei eyed him ruefully. "Very well, then. If that's how it is, then I'll let you go. Only, I hope you will continue to spend time visiting us, even when you begin your work. We've had seldom little time to get to know each other before you came to stay with us, and my son is eagerly asking when his uncle Ryuu will next be able to match swords with him. I know that tolerating the insistance of a whelp like him is trying, but if you can spare time, we would all appreciate it."

"I don't mind," Ryuu assured him, finding with genuine surprise that his words were true. "If I have time, I'll come. He might well be a shinigami of the future, and it bodes well to learn skills from family at an early age."

He grinned, bowing his head once more towards his companion.

"Thank you for your care of Father, Souhei-nii," he said sincerely. "I shall not forget your kindness to him or to me."

* * *

><p>By the time the group of Senior students reached the main courtyard, there was no sign of Ryuu or his father, but instead a large and ornate, if slightly old-fashioned carriage had just pulled in through the gate, white horses snorting and pawing the ground as their driver brought them to a firm halt. As Juushirou led his friends out into the morning sunshine, the coachman got down from his perch, casting the white haired boy a warm grin of greeting.<p>

"Juushirou-sama! That was fine timing, if I do say so myself."

"Juushirou...sama?" Sora blinked curiously at her classmate, but Juushirou returned the man's grin with a startled one of his own, reaching instinctively to clutch the gloved hands in his.

"Keiichi-dono! Oh, if you're here, does that mean...?"

"Did you think my Lord would stay away, when you were graduating the Academy and making the whole Gotei sit up and take notice today?" Keiichi's words were light and teasing, and despite the honorifics, there was no false distance in his words. "Of course not. He's been very anxious to be here, and you should have expected it, given how much time you spent at the manor over the winter break."

"This is Kinnya-sama's carriage, isn't it?" Shunsui came up behind Juushirou, eying the vehicle with undisguised interest. "It's very Kuchiki, and that means this is..."

"Keiichi-dono is Ojiisama's manservant," Juushirou explained, turning to his friends with a grin as Keiichi moved to open the carriage. "Though I think he's been with Ojiisama since Ojiisama was a boy, and they're much more like old friends than servant and Lord."

"We shouldn't be surprised that Kinnya-sama came to see you, not really," Kai reflected. "With all these Kuchiki, though, maybe I'm going to need to put Onmitsukidou training into practice a little early and try not to be too much seen."

"I have no grudges against your kinsfolk, boy," it was Kinnya himself who answered, stepping slowly and cautiously down from the carriage, for Kai's words had carried and the old nobleman had heard every one of them. "Especially not ones of your generation. The past is past, and should remain there."

"I'm sorry, sir," Kai blushed, lowering his head. "I meant no disrespect."

"And you gave none," Kinnya smiled, casting his gaze across the assembled students, then finally meeting Juushirou's hazel eyes with his grey ones. "You look well, Juushirou. These are your friends? Some of them I've met, but the others, I'm afraid, are strangers to me."

"Yes, sir," Juushirou grinned, hurrying to embrace the other man as though he were not the brother of a former Clan leader but simply a much loved Grandpa who had spent more time curled up reading stories to his grandchildren than dictating life and death politics across Sixth District for so many years. "I'm glad to see you, and you look well too. Will you permit me to make introductions? I know you've met Shunsui and Hirata, but you haven't met my other classmates and I should like you to."

"You may, but first, let's allow the rest of my passengers to alight, shall we?" Kinnya's eyes twinkled, making him look younger. "Oh, yes, you didn't think I'd travel in such a large carriage alone, did you? I'm far too old for such ostentatious gestures, but given that I was coming this way already..."  
><em><br>"Juu-nii!"_

Before Kinnya could finish his sentence, a small pink and blue blur shot out of the door of the carriage, chubby arms flinging themselves determinedly around the slim boy's waist and sending him almost off his feet with the force of the blow.

"Shikiki?" Juushirou gazed down at the beaming face of his foster sister, absently resting his hand on her head. "Then..."

"You didn't expect to graduate without your family here, did you, Shiro-nii?" Hiroyuki hopped down from the carriage, turning to offer his hand to his mother as Kaede descended more cautiously in her long skirt. "Okaasama and I were planning to come all along, and Shikiki too, since one day she'll probably be studying here, but when Kinnya-sama offered the use of his carriage, well..."

"Everyone came, Juu-nii!" Shikiki tugged excitedly on Juushirou's fingers. "Everyone's here to see you graduate and become a proper shinigami!"

"I'm afraid it might be a bit of a busy ceremony," Kaede looked sheepish, moving to greet her stepson. "When we understood where the Council wanted to assign you, though, we wanted to be here all the more. There was a lot of argument over who should be able to come, so in the end, we're grateful to Kinnya-sama for his kindness in offering transport."

"All...of you?" Juushirou was flummoxed, his gaze going to the carriage once more as, sure enough, one by one his siblings descended. First Sanjirou, dropping down in much the same way as Hiroyuki, and straightening his glasses before turning to half-lift the petite Miyabi down from her perch. Following her came Shinkei, leaping to the ground like the deft monkey he still was, and then Rouhei, a more considered descent that landed him safely on the cobbles. Finally came Yuuya, the youngest, whose exit was an undignified scramble that, if not for Rouhei's quick thinking, would have seen the boy land on his rear, but at last they were all out, gazing around them in anticipation as they set eyes for the first time on their elder brother's school.

"Your school is really a long way from home, Nii-sama," Miyabi said reproachfully, hurrying to hug her brother in much the same way as Shikiki had. "Okaasama said it was a long way, but it was a very very long trip. Even though Ojiisama took us through a quick route he knew, we still had to spend a lot of time in the carriage."

"It's quite a trip, isn't it?" Juushirou ruffled his younger sister's hair affectionately. "I'm glad you came though, Miyabi-chan. I'm glad you're all here. I've wanted to show you my school for a long time, and now I can."

"It's pretty big," Hiroyuki shielded his eyes from the spring sun, gazing at the old Yamamoto building contemplatively. "If I hadn't got used to trotting up to Kinnya-jiisama's place every so often since the Winter, I think I'd probably imagine it the biggest house I'd seen up close."

"So these are the infamous Ukitake brood, huh?" Kai's embarrassment had faded, and he eyed the gaggle of youngsters with amusement. "Introduce us to your full family, then, Ukitake."

"With much pleasure," Juushirou turned, disentangling himself from Miyabi's determined embrace and nodding his head. "Guys, this is my stepmother, Kaede, and my siblings - Hiroyuki, who's the third eldest, then Sanjirou, who's fourth, then come Shinkei, who's here, and Rouhei, here, then Miyabi-chan and Yuuya is the youngest. Shikiki is adopted by my family and, well, that's it. Everyone, these are some of my closest school friends. You know Shunsui already, of course, but these are the other people I've written to you and told you about - Kai, Enishi, Sora, Hirata and Naoko."

"Ryuu isn't with you?" Kinnya looked surprised, as the students bowed their heads in polite greeting, and Juushirou shook his head.

"Seiren-sama has come, and Ryuu went after him," he said simply.

"Ah," Kinnya's expression cleared, and he nodded. "Well, then that explains it."

"Aren't you one short?" Sora, who had been scanning the faces of the younger Ukitake with her usual keen curiosity piped in now. "You have another sister...we met her at Shunsui's place, when you were convalescent there?"

"Chihiro's married and lives in District Eight now," Juushirou grinned, and Shunsui nodded.

"She met a guardsman of my brother's while Juu was healing, and that was that," he agreed. "They seem well matched, so Juu was unwittingly matchmaker."

"I had nothing to do with it," Juushirou objected. "I was sick in bed - Chi met and courted Takeshi all on her own."

"Regardless, they're very happy, so it was a good ending," Kaede looked amused. "You haven't changed at all, Shunsui-dono - I'm glad to see it."

"I try not to change if I can help it. It takes far too much effort," Shunsui grinned back. "Well, people? You've had your gawk at Juu's extensive family, now - shall we trot off and find our own kin? I think I saw Tokutarou-nii's carriage, and I'm sure Juu has plenty to say to his siblings that we shouldn't be eavesdropping in on."

"I'll come with you to see Tokutarou-nii," Sora decided. "Nao-chan, are you coming too? Tokutarou-nii's like my brother, so he'd be happy to meet a close friend of mine."

"All right, if you think it's okay." Naoko looked startled, but nodded, linking her arm in Sora's proffered one and shooting her a smile. "What about everyone else?"

"I ought to go locate Father, before he plots up more complicated inter-Clan treaties and trade agreements in my absence," Hirata rolled his eyes. "I'm pretty sure he sees this kind of event as that as much as he does my graduation, so I'd better go make sure he's not trying to convince anyone to send large supplies of anything to District Seven in the near future."

"I'm going to go hunt my sister, before she comes to hunt me," Kai decided. "Houjou, you come with me and protect me - if you're not going to see your Clan head, you can come speak to mine instead."

"Fine by me," Enishi agreed good-naturedly. "It was nice to meet you, Kaede-dono, and all of Ukitake's family, too. I can see why he's so fond of all of you - it's a good thing to have, strong family bonds."

With that they were gone, and soon Juushirou was alone with his kinsfolk in the bright courtyard.

"You have lots of friends, don't you, Nii-sama?" Miyabi sent him a pensive look, and Juushirou nodded.

"I do, and I've been very happy here," he agreed, squeezing her hand tightly in his. "You know that nobody will ever replace all of you, though, Miya-chan. That's why I'm so happy you've come here today. I didn't expect to see all of you, but it's made the day complete."

"Well, we are one short. Chi isn't here, though she did say she was going to try and hitch a ride with Tokutarou-sama," Hiroyuki interjected. "We had a letter from her last week and apparently he'd asked her if she'd like to travel with him, Yoshiko-sama and Rae-hime, so she was hoping to be here all the same. It's very odd having the both of you so far away, Shiro-nii. I'm not sure I approve of how you've quit home and left me to take on the burden of running the family."

"Sorry about that," Juushirou grinned sheepishly. "I'm sure you're doing fine, though - and when you finally stop postponing it and get to marrying Hikari-chan, you'll have even less to complain about. Chi has Takeshi and I have being a shinigami, so it all balances out fine."

"Are you going to get married now, Juu-nii?" Shikiki asked curiously, and Juushirou frowned, slowly shaking his head.

"No..." he said, Mitsuki's face flitting briefly before his thoughts. "No, I'm not, Shiki-chan. I have far too much to do work-wise, and it wouldn't be a good idea. Maybe one day, but right at the moment, not now."

"You usually need to like someone before you marry them, Shikiki," Shinkei said disparagingly, and Shikiki turned, poking her tongue out at him.

"You don't know anything," she said firmly, "since no girls are stupid enough to like someone who climbs in and out of windows like a monkey does!"

"Okay, enough of that," Kaede said sharply, as Kinnya let out a low chuckle of obvious appreciation. "We didn't come here for spatting and although I know you're all tired and you've had a long journey, please remember why we came? You're all old enough to conduct yourself properly in public, and you'll be letting down your father's name as well as your own and Kinnya-sama's kindness if you use this trip to make a scene. Am I understood?"

"Sorry," Shikiki looked contrite, and Shinkei lowered his head, unwilling to apologise, but still accepting his mother's words. Kaede sighed, then offered Juushirou a tired smile.

"To find you well and happy is the biggest reward for such a long trip," she said sincerely. "I wish your father could see you now, Juushirou. Your mother, too. I have never been so proud of you, I don't think, as I am looking at you dressed this way. I had doubts at the start, you know that, but your father was right. You were given those skills for a reason, and now, knowing you'll go on to help so many more people realise their dreams, I'm glad I stood back and let you follow Genryuusai-sama's words through."

"Okaa-sama," Juushirou squeezed her hands gently, then released them. "I really am glad everyone is here. It means more to me than anything, to graduate in front of my family."

"You don't mind us being here?" Rouhei asked hesitantly. "I mean, we're not Clan, and..."

He glanced around him nervously, and Juushirou knew he was taking in all the expensive carriages and finely clad people that were milling around the courtyard in a melee of different colours. Immediately he shook his head.

"I don't want any of you to be Clan," he replied without a moment of hesitation. "I'm not Clan, either, and I've never pretended to be. I'm not ashamed of my family or where I came from - on the contrary, I was proud to be able to introduce you to my friends, and you saw, didn't you, that they were happy to meet you all too? Clan and District people aren't that different from one another. You know Kinnya-sama too, now, and Shunsui, of course, and so you know that already."

"Rouhei's experience of Clan is limited, and so his fears are understandable," Kinnya said comfortably. "I'm glad of the company of your siblings, and I welcome them into my home as though they were my blood grandchildren, but I am an old man whose eccentricities are rather legendary among the Kuchiki. Still, Rouhei, times are changing. Your brother is at the forefront of that change, and you should have faith in him."

"Nobody will disrespect your being here today," Juushirou added with conviction. "My classmates have more honour than to do that, and I won't allow it, anyway."

"When you talk like that, you remind me of Raiko," Kinnya reflected. "Older, true, but just as defiant."

"Ojiisama, you knew what Sensei planned, didn't you?" Juushirou eyed him suspiciously. "That was really what you were signing - not my permission to join a division, but support to make me a Captain."

"It wasn't quite so simple - my endorsement didn't give you the job," Kinnya looked unrepentant. "I couldn't tell you the truth then, not when so much was still unsettled and the final vote had not been taken. I merely signed papers to the effect that a member of your Clan of high birth approved the nomination for Captaincy. That's still part of law - Captains must have the permission and support of their Clan to accept the _haori_. I was that for you. It was interesting...I found very few people willing to oppose me, so I thought I'd put that fact to good use. The rest was your work and Genryuusai-sensei's determination. You got the position on District merit, my boy. I merely made it legal, so nobody now or in the future who questioned it could find anything lacking."

"I see," Juushirou rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "So because I'm the first District Captain, all the paperwork had to be even more by the book than normal, to protect me and make sure I can do my job without legal challenges to my position?"

"Exactly that," Kinnya nodded. "Are you still cross I got involved?"

"No...not now I understand," Juushirou grinned, relief in his eyes. "If that's what you did, Ojiisama, I'm grateful. I'll have enough to contend with in Seventh without that."

"Are you really going to go live in Seventh District?" Miyabi's eyes became mournful, and Juushirou nodded.

"More or less, yes," he agreed gently. "People there are suffering a lot. Shikiki knows what it's like there, and what it is I'm going to try and stop happening. I don't want any more families ending up like Shikiki's, so I have to go."

"Thank you, Juu-nii," Shikiki spoke sincerely. "Maybe, if you can sort out Seventh and put the stupid Clan people back to being smart, maybe Kaa-chan and Tou-chan's ghosts can go to rest properly. I always think nobody in Seventh really gets to do that, because so much bad stuff has happened and they get messed up in it. Seventh District always feels like death - I didn't understand that till I came to live in Sixth and realised it wasn't like that everywhere. Please stop people being killed, Juu-nii. If you go there, I'm sure that everything will be all right."

"I'm going to do my best," Juushirou promised, touched by Shikiki's words. "In the meantime, what's all this I hear about you playing heroine yourself? I heard from Nagoya-senpai how you saved his life in the forest - were you going to tell me about that or was it going to be a deep dark secret?"

"Shirogane-nii was hurt and I could help him, so I did," Shikiki looked surprised, then she grinned. "We all did. Shirogane-nii was Juu-nii's friend, right? So we wanted to help him. Besides, Shirogane-nii was kind to us, too. He stopped us from getting into trouble for helping him, even when he was really sick, and although he was rich and stupid and Clan, he was kind, too."

"He certainly had a fair amount of honour, though I don't pretend I want too many more Clan refugees on my doorstep in future," Hiroyuki said dryly. "He wasn't so bad, as they go, but it did make for an eventful week or so. We didn't get you involved because we didn't dare get anyone involved, Shiro-nii. It was pretty dangerous at the time - I don't understand the particulars, but I know the man was in trouble of some kind."

"Trouble which is fully resolved now, however," Kinnya rumbled gently. "It's all right, Hiroyuki. There's no need for secrecy now. Shirogane has accepted his role as heir to the Clan and will formally receive the Kuchiki name at the Sakura festivals in a week or so's time. They'll pay proper homage to young Ribari and the Kuchiki will be able to move forward in a far more stable way. All has ended favourably, and that's largely thanks to young Shikiki and her enviable spiritual talents."

Shikiki gazed around her at the school grounds, then, slowly, she nodded.

"I'll come here, too, when I'm old enough," she decided. "It feels nice here, and I think I'll like it. The Ojiisan said I could come when I was sixteen, and so I'll keep practicing and stuff for then. Then I'm going to come here and be a shinigami too, like Juu-nii and Shirogane-nii. There are still a lot of stupid people who need to be less stupid, and maybe I can help."

"I think the Gotei would be very lucky to have you," Juushirou said warmly. "Sensei wants to teach you, I know that - but if you didn't want to come, nobody would make you."

"No, I want to," Shikiki's expression became serious. "I want to help people, like I helped Shirogane-nii, and like you helped me, Juu-nii. You and your family. I want to be able to do more good things too, and if I have the power to, then I will. I'll come here and I'll work hard and then I'll get to be helpful too."

"Those sound like wise words, my girl," Kinnya told her approvingly. "You follow in Juushirou's footsteps and I'm sure you'll get your wish. There's a lot of future for the Districts in Inner Seireitei, and that's something I'm sure of. Today is just the start...I have every confidence there are many more District success stories to come."

* * *

><p>"...And so in closing, I'd like to present this year's Senior Class Anideshi and therefore representative of the graduating students, Ukitake Juushirou."<p>

As Genryuusai's speech finished to a round of warm applause, Juushirou stepped apprehensively up onto the dais, casting his teacher an anxious glance as he moved across the beamed wood to take his position at the front. A sea of faces seemed to confront him, some of them blurring together into a morass of colours and shapes, nerves momentarily paralysing his vocal chords. As Genryuusai withdrew to his own seat at the back of the raised platform, he grasped the young student's arm briefly as if to reassure him, and for a moment they met gazes. Then, in the next moment, the old man was gone, and Juushirou was alone at the front of the stage, his gaze running through the familiar and unfamiliar visages spread out before him.

There were an awful lot of them. The front section of the hall was given over to friends and family, with the most comfortable seating reserved for representatives from the Great Clans. At the back, raised up on benches so that they could see were the other students, from the First Years through to the Fifth. For the past few years, Juushirou had sat on those benches, watching the Seniors graduate and wondering what it would be like when it came to his turn. Now it seemed as though his five years at the Academy had flown by in less than a heartbeat, and for a moment he envied the rows of students in their white and coloured uniforms.

Tsunemori's eager face caught his attention, squeezed in beside the irrepressable Kaneyo, and as he shifted his gaze through the other rows he caught sight of more familiar faces, each one of them watching him with anticipation. Briefly his eyes rested on the Fifth years Kobayashi and Kamaki, who had caused him so much trouble in the early months, but that seemed like a lifetime ago now, and though their expressions were somewhat sullen, they were at least paying attention to the stage.

He dropped his gaze to the front section, seeking out the corner where his family were sitting, huddled around Kinnya and Kaede. He could sense their pride in him from here, and some of the weight lifted from his shoulders as he remembered why it was Genryuusai had placed him there, in a position where all eyes rested on him.

There was still so much to do. This was only the beginning, and he had to move on.

"Today is an important day for all of us," he began, his voice rising clearly and confidently through the high-ceilinged chamber. "Every year we hear those words from the students as they graduate, and every year, as students, we all wonder what it will be like when it comes to being our turn. That turn comes around far more quickly than anyone expects. From today we are no longer students of Genryuusai-sensei's Academy, but shinigami, stepping out into the world to make what difference we can. That does not mean, however, that we ever stop being students. Every day of our lives, we learn something new - about ourselves, about each other, and about the world around us."

He paused, meeting Kinnya's eyes for a moment, and a faint smile touched his lips as he saw the approval in the old man's gaze.

"Each one of us robed in _shihakushou_ today has come on an individual journey to be here," he continued, feeling the apprehension slip away as he got into his stride. "We've all learned that it isn't how we do in comparison to others that counts, but in comparison to ourselves. We are our own strongest allies and biggest enemies, and if we fail, the only ones we can blame are ourselves. I'm proud to say that none of us have failed in the challenges laid down before us. I am even prouder to be graduating as part of this class and with this group of individuals."

He pressed his lips together briefly.

"I am District," he said honestly. "When I first came here, many people thought that mattered. Perhaps in some part of me, I did too. In time, though, we've all found that it does not. Many of the students listening to me speak today are District, whilst others of you are Clan. As the first District student to graduate from Sensei's Academy, the most important message I can give you all is that where someone is born does not dictate what they are capable of achieving. Everyone has strengths and this Academy is the best place in all of Seireitei to learn how to use those strengths. Whether we are healers, hunters, fighters or kidou spellcasters, we can all find our place here. The lessons we've learned as students of Genryuusai-sama are lessons that, I trust, will help us to save lives and, maybe, inspire future generations to take up the fight against the Hollows that invade our world. There are already too many families who have lost loved ones because of them."

His gaze rested on his stepmother, faltering slightly as he saw the tears glittering in her dark eyes. She was remembering his father, he knew, and for a brief instant so did he, that day in the forests of District Six when the Hollow had gored Hidenobu and stolen the man's life.

"We can't allow that to continue," he added, his own voice shaking very slightly as he fought to keep his emotion in check. "As Seniors, we've all learned how harsh the world outside these walls can be."

He gestured to his assembled classmates, trying not to pay too much attention to Mitsuki's empty seat.

"At the start of the year, we were thirteen," he said gravely. "Amai Suzuno's life was lost in the Real World, under exceptionally tragic circumstances. She isn't with us to graduate here today, but we all feel she should be and more, deserved to be. For her sake, each and every one of us will work twice as hard to achieve our goals. She was one of us, and I don't think there's any fitter memorial for such a talented shinigami than that. We will certainly never forget her or her kind, gentle nature."

He bit his lip, then,

"We are also without Edogawa Mitsuki, who has already gone to take up her position in Rukongai as a member of Fourth Division," he added. "Our thoughts are with her as we each step forward from today to join our new squads and begin our new lives."

He took a deep breath of air into his lungs, steadying himself against the lump rising in his throat.

"None of us know what the future will bring or what challenges we'll have to face," he concluded slowly, "but of one thing we can be sure. Thanks to Genryuusai-sensei and the staff of the Academy, we've been given the tools we need to cope with anything. From this point on it's up to us - and I can speak for every member of the Senior Class when I say we have no intention of letting you all down."

With that he bowed his head to indicate the end of his speech, and, much to his relief, he heard the ripple of applause running once more through the chamber. He was not naive enough to believe every Clan visitor or student believed his words about the Districts, nor did he expect them to, but they had at least respected his words enough to acknowledge them and that was enough.  
><em><br>You don't have to like those around you, so long as you can trust their motives are the same as yours. I'll remember that, especially when we go to District Seven._

He retook his seat beside Shunsui, exchanging grins with his companion.

"Glad it's over?" Shunsui mouthed, and Juushirou inclined his head slightly to indicate agreement. There was no time for any more, however, for Genryuusai had once more taken to the dais. Kazoe stood to one side, and Juushirou could see the pile of scrolls heaped up on the table beside him, each tied with a different coloured ribbon. His heart leapt into his throat as he understood what these were.  
><em><br>The proof that we can serve as shinigami. Our acceptance papers into the Gotei. Our key to the future and whatever comes next._

"We will now present the students with their division papers, and wish each of them in turn the best of luck for the future beyond these walls," Genryuusai said solemnly. "Will each student come forward as their name is called, and accept the honours bestowed upon them by this school and by the squads they are now to enter?"

There was a low murmur of excitement from the student benches at the back, and Juushirou knew the younger ones were whispering among themselves, trying to predict what shinigami would go to what division. It was a game they had played themselves up till last year, but now it was more real than it had ever been. One of those scrolls, Juushirou knew, held his name, and his heart beat faster in anticipation.  
><em><br>This is it, Father. I've done what you hoped I would. I hope you're proud of me, and I'll keep doing my best, no matter what challenges I have to face._

"First Division, Yamamoto Akira."

Genryuusai was speaking again, and already Akira was treading the boards, bowing his head formally towards his kinsman and accepting the grey bound scroll with grave dignity.

"Second Division Onmitsukidou, Shihouin Kai."

Kai was the next on stage, accepting the black-bound scroll with just as much gravity, his golden eyes serious as he made his bow.

"Fourth Division, Edogawa Mitsuki."

As Mitsuki's name was spoken, Juushirou felt the lump rise in his throat once more, and from the shadows of the dais, Retsu stood forward, lowering her head to Genryuusai and holding out her hand for the scroll.

"On behalf of my recruit, I will accept this," she said, in her soft, gentle tones. "I will make sure she receives it, with all the honour it deserves."

She stepped back, and Juushirou glanced at Mitsuki's empty seat once more. This time, though, it was a swell of pride, not grief that worked its way up inside of him.

_See you again soon, Mitsuki-chan. I'm sure of it, if we both work hard, we'll meet again._

"Sixth Division, Kuchiki Ryuu."

Ryuu was next, the picture of Kuchiki dignity as he stiffly accepted his green-bound diploma, his bow lower and longer than any of those who had gone before. Genryuusai smiled at him, patting him lightly on the shoulder, then turning to accept a pink wrapped scroll from Kazoe. This one was different from the others, as it was bound with a second length of cloth woven with silver, and Juushirou knew that this indicated a particular level of office was being conveyed on the student in question. It was proof of officer rank, and a soft hum ran through the visitor gallery, for presentation of such honours at a graduation ceremony was rare.

"Eighth Division Vice Captain - Shiba Sora."

Sora got to her feet, smoothing down her _shihakushou_ absently before hurrying to accept her rank, and Juushirou realised for the first time since he had known the young Shiba, his friend was genuinely nervous. Her hand shook a little as she accepted the scroll, her smile a little more forced than normal but her green eyes bright with excitement.

"Eighth Division Captain - Kyouraku Shunsui."

In complete contrast to his chosen adjutant, Shunsui ambled up to receive his scroll, bowing towards his teacher and then, mock-solemnly, towards first the audience then Sora herself, causing bright colour to rise in the Shiba's cheeks. Juushirou hid a smile. Even on such a formal occasion as this, Shunsui was loath to take things seriously.

"Tenth Division, Souryou Kanshi."

Kanshi was next, his approach almost as relaxed as Shunsui's, and from the wry smile on his face as he accepted his diploma, it was clear he too had appreciated Shunsui's performance.

"Twelfth Division, Michihashi Aoi."

Genryuusai handed the fair haired Urahara his diploma with a smile, then turned his attention to the remaining scrolls. There were four left, Juushirou could see from where he sat, two of them bound with extra ribbon and two of them not. Instead of a squad ribbon in a particular Clan colour, these had been tied with black and white ribbon, signifying the Gotei. The symbolism was not lost on Juushirou.  
><em><br>We don't belong to any Clan, but to the Gotei as a whole. Our loyalty is there and nowhere else. _

"Before I present the final diplomas to our four remaining students, I am sure that many among our congregation are aware of the Council's decision to authorise a new squad for the Gotei." Genryuusai spoke sombrely, his moustache twitching slightly and his dark eyes sweeping the room. "For the first time, there will be a Thirteenth Division, devised and put in place specifically for the benefit and recruitment of District graduates."

A gasp went up from the student benches, and Juushirou saw Tsunemori's eyes almost pop out of his head at this unexpected tidbit of information.

"For the time being, Thirteenth Division will be deployed within Seventh District, until Seventh Division's interdict is withdrawn," Genryuusai continued as if nothing had been said, but there was a faint smile at the corners of his lips. "In the long run, though, Thirteenth will run and operate entirely as its own division, a fully fledged member of the Gotei. My four remaining students are the brave young souls who have committed themselves to making this division work, and I have every confidence in them being able to do so."

He glanced at the diplomas, then,

"Thirteenth Division, Shikibu Naoko," he began, and Naoko got to her feet. Unlike Sora, there were no nerves in the older girl's demeanour, her sleek auburn hair fastened neatly back in a tail behind her head and her black and white clothes immaculate. She walked with pride and determination, her head held high and her greenish eyes radiating resolution as she came to accept her diploma.

"Thirteenth Division, Endou Hirata."

Hirata followed her, moving cautiously so as not to trip up and make a fool of himself without his glasses to guide him. Among the Clan guests, Juushirou saw a few heads turn, certain they were discussing this surprise deployment of the Endou heir to the new division, but Hirata managed to accept his scroll without incident. Genryuusai already had the next scroll in his hand, so Juushirou turned his attention back to the main proceedings.

"Thirteenth Division Vice Captain, Houjou Enishi."

A sudden round of violent, enthusiastic applause from the Clan ranks almost made both Juushirou and Enishi jump clean out of their skin, and Juushirou scanned the crowds hurriedly, realising with wide eyes that the commotion had come from a group of unmistakeably Yamamoto Clansfolk, their features similar enough to Enishi's to mark them out as his direct kin. Enishi, his face scarlet but glowing with pride, somehow managed to make it to where Genryuusai was patiently waiting, receiving his scroll with a gruff, "Thanks, sir," before making his bow and retreating from the spotlight.  
><em><br>Enishi's family aren't that different from him._

Juushirou processed this with sudden clarity.  
><em><br>He's worried about them being ashamed of him, but they're here in force to support him because, like him, they're loyal and they love him. He's been worrying about nothing - they're right behind him, no matter what.  
><em>  
>"Thirteenth Division Captain, Ukitake Juushirou."<p>

The sound of his own name rudely jerked him from his musings and he got hurriedly to his feet, making his way back to the front of the stage. In their corner, he could see that Kaede was really in tears now, Hiroyuki's reassuring arm around his mother's slender shoulders, and a rush of emotion flared through Juushirou's own body.

_You heard that, Otousama? I'm a Captain. A shinigami Captain. You see me, Hahaue? I'm going to live my life and make sure you can't ever regret giving it to me. I'm going to be the best Captain I can be, and I'm going to make Thirteenth Division work. Watch over me, both of you, and you'll soon see - _nobody_ is going to take this away from me._

"Congratulations, Juushirou," Genryuusai held out the diploma, and Juushirou was startled to see the sincerity in the old man's eyes. "Good luck in Seventh District, my boy. I trust it to you."

"Yes, sir," Juushirou murmured, bowing his head in acknowledgement. "I'll do my best."

"That concludes this presentation," as Juushirou made his way back to his seat, Genryuusai addressed the audience once more, his features uncharacteristically sombre. "I wish all of the new graduates of this Academy the best of luck as they pursue their future paths. Each year I say that my new Seniors have outdone their predecessors, but this year is an exceptional one. For the first time, but I trust, not for the last, Captains have graduated from my Academy, and I have every faith in them making their mark on the Gotei as their careers progress. A round of applause, if you please, for the Senior class."


	8. Chapter 8

**~Eight~**

The canopy was a swathe of delicate pink, the sky mere blurs of blue and white in between the spreading boughs of the sakura trees that stretched for what seemed like miles in each direction. Beneath his feet, the grass too was speckled with the few pastel petals that had shed early in the spring breeze. All around him was a sense of peace and serenity, and for a moment he just stood there, soaking up the atmosphere.

A year had passed, then, since the fateful night he had led his division patrol into the forests and since the life of his young cousin had been stolen by Endou Eiraki's poison and Aizen Keitarou's schemes.

Shirogane drew a deep breath of fresh, fragrant air into his lungs, remembering. It seemed like a lifetime ago, but no, surely it had not been more than a twelvemonth, for the sakura festivities had been cancelled as a mark of respect for the dead Kuchiki heir and the whole of District Six had been sunk into dark and sober mourning. For Shirogane, that grief was still raw, still fresh, yet in other ways, the wounds had begun to heal. Here, today, he felt that he could celebrate most what had been dear to his young cousin - the strength and immediacy of life, vibrant and real and within his touch. If he focused particularly on the weave of the wood and the blur of the petals, he almost thought he could see his kinsman, robed in the Kuchiki cream and green, impatient to be off on some new adventure.

"Shirogane-sama!"

A servant hurried up to him, green eyes anxious and at the man's agitation, Shirogane pressed his lips together, trying to see the sun through the trees' criss-crossed branches. Was it time already? It seemed barely a moment since he had left his chamber at dawn that morning, coming out to the grounds to feel the breeze and view the flowers without disturbance from his peers or his subordinates. Still, from the faint shadows peppering the mottled ground, he could tell that time had passed without his realising it, and the faint flicker of Ribari's spirit that, for a brief moment had been conjured up before him faded and drifted away, no more than an illusion.

"Shirogane-sama, Guren-sama sent me to find you, sir," the manservant bowed respectfully, raising an urgent gaze to his companion. "He said to tell you that everything is in place and that he wished to see you for a moment before the festival was officially begun. If you'd come with me, sir, I'll take you to him directly."

"Yes, of course," Shirogane responded, nodding his head. "I'm sorry. I didn't realise Guren-sama was seeking me, or I would have returned more quickly to the house."

"Yes, sir," the manservant agreed politely, bowing again and then gesturing across the grounds towards the Kuchiki manor. Shirogane obediently fell into step with the lower born man, his brow creasing in a frown as he realised the direction in which they were heading.

"Tell me," he said quietly, as they picked their way across the dew-drenched grass. "Are we heading to the manor, or perhaps, to some other place in the grounds?"

"Please, my Lord, Guren-sama wanted me to summon you to the mausoleum," now the young servant looked uneasy. "I believe...he said it was something...he wished you to share."

"I see," Shirogane's eyes became grave, and he picked up his pace. "Even less reason to keep him waiting. You may return to your fellows, and continue your duties. I now know where to find my uncle, and I will not keep you any longer."

"Shirogane-sama?"

"The mausoleum is a place for family contemplation. It is not a place for general servants." Shirogane's words were calm and even, but they held a command that was unmistakeable, and the young man faltered, then lowered his head, withdrawing without asking any further questions. Shirogane sighed, swallowing his own apprehensions, then turned towards the main entrance of the mausoleum, allowing his senses to spread out towards the stone building in search of his uncle. Sure enough, he soon detected Guren's reiatsu, and from its location, Shirogane understood only too well where the man was.

Ribari's monument, in the centre of the mausoleum's open courtyard.

He frowned, chewing down on his lip.

Today, he knew, he would receive the Kuchiki name. From today, he would be officially accepted as Guren's son and heir, the next leader of the Kuchiki Clan. Yet, as he stepped carefully over the smooth marble steps that led to the heart of his family's communal resting place, he felt distinctly uneasy. Ribari had been his cousin, his _deshi_, in some ways, his friend. He had loved the young boy dearly, and missed him badly, yet now, as he weaved his way between ancient relics and more recent tombs towards the heart of the mausoleum, he felt guilt creeping into his thoughts. Would Ribari forgive him, then, for usurping his position in the family? Would he be staring down at him now, cursing and hating him for stealing away his father's affection and accepting a position that, by birth, should never have been his? He pushed it away, but still the thoughts lingered.  
><em><br>I am not born to be Head of this Clan. I am simply a substitute. A replacement. Fond as Guren-sama is of me, nothing will change that. Whilst Guren-sama lives, the Clan will acquiesce, but really, I'm not on safe ground yet. I will have to prove myself. I will have to prove...so many things for them to really accept me. I'll have to surpass a ghost, won't I, Ribari-sama? They won't forget you, and nor will I._

"Shirogane!"

As he stepped out into the central courtyard, he saw Guren standing before the sparkling white monument, freshly carved as it was with the four characters that made up Ribari's name. At a glance, the older man looked as though he had shed tears, but Shirogane knew better than to stare, and instead he lowered his head in respect, moving slowly across the grass to join his kinsman.

"You sent for me, sir?"

"Yes. Yes, I did," Guren turned his head back towards the monument, resting his gloved hand briefly on the surface. "Or maybe it was Ribari who called me here. I'm not sure, to be truthful."

"Sir?" Shirogane shot his uncle a confused look, and Guren let out a wry, humourless chuckle.

"It may sound like the ramblings of a grieving father, but last night, I dreamed about my son," he said softly. "I don't have such dreams often, and, in the year since Ribari died, I have had none. Not like this. His death, yes, many times over, but not...not like last night."

"A dream about Ribari-sama?" Shirogane cocked his head quizzically, and Guren nodded.

"It was only fleeting," he agreed, "but it was very real. I almost thought he was there, before me, in my chamber. I could have sworn I felt his reiatsu, just for the briefest of moments. I know I couldn't have, of course," as Shirogane's eyes became incredulous, "but such was the potency of my dream, it took a moment or two for me to distinguish the difference."

He sighed, running his free hand against the carved characters, then,

"He smiled at me," he said softly. "He smiled, and I heard the faintest of voices, as though brought through the breeze. He said it was all okay, Shirogane. He didn't say what, or anything other than that, but just...that all was well. Then he was gone, and I woke up."

He turned to face his nephew.

"My sense tells me such a thing is impossible - that it's my wishful thinking," he continued gravely, "but though that's true, there's a part of me which would like to think that he really was there, giving us his support for the steps we take today."

Shirogane pursed his lips, then, slowly, inclined his head.

"I don't believe in those things, not at all, really," he admitted, "but when I was staying with the Ukitake children, I remember sometimes Shikiki would talk about 'spirits' or something that she believed had taken her parents and looked after them after they were dead. I don't know, Guren-sama. Maybe...maybe Ribari-sama was there. Maybe I'm thinking wishfully, too - but perhaps he has accepted it more quickly than we have, the truth of his not being here, and because of that, he...he wants us to know we should go on as we must without him."

"Yes. Yes, so I think, too," Guren's lips twitched into a smile. "I am glad you are with me today, Shirogane. I will not share this with any other - I don't believe anyone else would understand. But you...you and my son had a close bond, and more than anyone, you've suffered from his death. I never blamed you for it, and never will - and now, I really feel, Ribari's told us that nor does he. You should look towards the future with ambition and hope, and the Clan will follow."

"You can sense my unease," Shirogane observed ruefully, and Guren nodded, taking his companion by the arm and gently leading him back towards the entrance of the mausoleum.

"The family will do so, too, if you let your guard down with them," he said wisely. "Before me, I would like to hear your true thoughts and your worries and fears. Before them, though, you must have no doubts or hesitations at all. You are not alone - even when I am no longer here, you will have Ryuu, and he will be a hard ally to dislodge."

"It's true," Shirogane acknowledged. "Since Ryuu came back here, at the beginning of the week, I've felt as though things are sliding into place. He is someone I can trust, and...I will trust. Like you have Futsuki-dono and Seiren-dono, I will have him at my side, and that is a comforting thought. Strange, considering how little contact we had before all of this, but now I couldn't imagine it being any different."

"He has grown into a fine young shinigami, and I am grateful that he is there," Guren agreed. "Especially since it seems we've lost our young healer for a considerable amount of time."

"Guren...sama?" Shirogane faltered, disconcerted, and Guren offered him a slight smile.

"Futsuki holds the opinion you have affections for the young girl. Mitsuki," he said matter-of-factly, and Shirogane's cheeks darkened with embarrassed colour at his uncle's forthrightness. "Of course, a Clan leader must have a suitable _hime_ at his side, and so I half thought you'd ask her to stay here with you. Nobody would have contested it - and yet, you petition me to let her go to Fourth District. It's a rum thing, isn't it, love?"

"Guren-sama, Mitsuki saved my life," Shirogane struggled to reassert his composure, shaking his head. "I owed her something, and by helping her get her wish, I repaid her. We are friends - good friends - but that is all. I have none of the romantic impulses some young people have - I am a Kuchiki, and arranged matches are the norm within this Clan."

"Yes, indeed they are," Guren ruminated, as they stepped outside once more into the spring sunshine. "In my case, I was very fond of my wife, but we were never able to have more than just the one child. Seiren, of course, was more successful that way - but his marriage was less settled and happy than my own, so I imagine it goes both ways. Still, if a Kuchiki can marry a suitable _hime _for love, he should do so - don't you think?"

"Perhaps, but if you're implying, sir..."

"Shirogane, men who want women don't allow them to escape so easily," Guren said matter-of-factly, patting his younger companion on the shoulder. "They will do whatever is in their power to possess them - sometimes, things they would normally balk at doing, to make sure that _hime_ sees nobody else. I have seen it, time and time again, within the lower echelons of the Clan. Not all such matches are happy, true, but I have seen it all the same."

"Even so..."

"When a man _loves_ a woman, however, he will do whatever he can to make sure _she_ is happy," Guren's voice softened, and Shirogane turned his gaze reluctantly to meet his uncle's gentle grey one. "Even if that means he doesn't see her for twenty, thirty years together. I may be the leader of this Clan, and I may have politics and traditions surrounding me but I can still see the signs of affection in those I care for. You've never been inclined towards any _hime _in the past, not even Meroka or her friends, but Mitsuki was different, wasn't she?"

Shirogane sighed, rubbing his temples.

"Mitsuki is a healer," he said at length. "Even if I had wanted to marry her - and I have not said that I did - she would never have been happy here. She wanted to go to Rukongai. I wanted to let her. There is no more to it than that, sir. Besides, Mitsuki is not...she does not look on me that way and never will. She has another vocation that guides her far more strongly and I have no interest in challenging it. Perhaps I am fond of her. Maybe this is a form of love...but it will pass. Much as I respect her, I can live without her. I have my path, and she has hers."

He offered his uncle a bittersweet smile.

"My duty now is to marry well and in a way that gives my family confidence," he added matter-of-factly. "I will do so. I am pragmatic, as you rightly observe, not romantic. I am willing to enter into those negotiations when you see fit to begin them, and you may have my word, there will never be any cause for rancour because my thoughts are somewhere else."

"Yes, you will make a fine Clan leader," Guren remarked sadly, shaking his head slowly as he regarded his companion. "We sacrifice ourselves and our happinesses, sometimes, for the sake of everyone else's. You've learned that lesson already, I think. I won't ask you about Mitsuki again, you needn't worry. I understand your reasons and I accept them. We will discuss together when it is time to find you a partner, and that will be the end of it."

"Yes, sir," Relief flickered across Shirogane's expression. "In the meantime, the family will be waiting for you to begin the festivities."

"They will, and to see me convey finally and formally the Kuchiki name onto you." Guren agreed. "You will not be Nagoya Shirogane any longer, not after today."

"Strange, but I think I may miss that," Shirogane mused. "For my whole life, not having the Kuchiki name has been a hindrance, but now, when I am to gain it, I find myself nostalgic for Father's appelation. I barely remember him, but I suppose, like Mother, he has some tie to me and who I am."

He glanced around him, looking for any sign of his younger cousin.

"Ryuu isn't meeting us here?"

"I believe he was occupying the attention of his nephew, who has a sudden enthusiasm for swordplay now he's formed a closer bond with Ryuu," Guren's expression lit up with amusement. "He's surprisingly patient, though, teaching that boy. I imagine he'll be excellent at training recruits, Shirogane - and who knows, perhaps Murasaki's son will find a niche in our squad one day, too."

"I trust so, if Ryuu is taking on his training," Shirogane allowed himself a rueful smile. "He isn't the kind of sensei who'd easily give up until his student was showing perfection."

He sighed, stretching his arms over his head.

"I suppose I'm ready to be the centre of the Clan's focus for a little while," he continued pensively. "I brought Oune, and this year it will be a special honour, playing my flute to welcome the cherry blossoms. This really is a new beginning for this family, and one I don't intend to let crumble or fail. Whether Ribari-sama was really with you or not last night, sir, today feels like a good day for the Kuchiki to start over. So much bad has happened, yet we've somehow held together and get stronger. If that isn't an indication that we're a Clan that's here to stay, I don't know what is."

"I agree with you," Guren plucked a spray of cherry blossom, glancing at it before allowing it to flutter to the ground to join its fellows. "Father always said this was the greatest Clan Seireitei had ever known. Our job is to keep it that way, Shirogane - but I believe we can do that. Whatever the future holds, there will be a Kuchiki there to see it happen. Of that I am quite sure."

* * *

><p>"So where, exactly, are we going?"<p>

Sora hitched up the legs of her black _hakama,_clambering over a patch of overgrown ferns and bracken, and hopping neatly down onto the barely visible stone path. "Shunsui, we were meant to be meeting with your brother and members of the Kyouraku Council this morning, weren't we? What about finalising squad membership and all of that boring administrative stuff? You've barely begun - don't tell me you're playing hooky already?"

"Not at all." A few feet further down the path, Shunsui paused, turning to offer her a warm grin. "We have plenty of time before Nii-sama wants us, trust me. He told me last night that he'd expect us at around noon, and we'd have lunch before all the squad finalities were put into place. Meantime, I'm to amuse myself, and you, so I thought it was a good excuse to get some exercise. You'll have to get used to running wild around Eighth, Sora-chan - there are plenty of good places to run wild in, and it would be a crying shame if you didn't expend some of that boundless energy of yours exploring."

"I don't mind exploring, but I'd like to know where exactly you're taking me," Sora objected, brushing her fingers through her dark hair to remove the stray petals that had strayed there from the branches that knitted in a splash of colour over her head. Eighth District was already in full bloom, its reputation for floral beauty as vibrantly upheld as ever, but although Sora usually enjoyed walking through the perfumed dells and copses of her friend's family land, this was a path she had never followed before. They had left the Kyouraku manor some time earlier, and since then she had struggled to stay on Shunsui's tail, at times only just catching a glimpse of charcoal fabric as he disappeared around another bushy bend.

He was not wearing the uniform of his squad, yet, and the _haori_ that the Council had presented to him three days before still hung on a peg in his room, untouched since the ceremony. He had told his brother that he intended on wearing it once the official inauguration of Eighth Division was complete - a fact that was meant to happen that afternoon - but Sora privately thought that her rebellious companion intended on wearing it as little as possible. It marked him out as a man of rank and responsibility, and although Shunsui had embraced both, Sora knew her friend well enough to know it would be a little longer before he accepted the visual symbolism of those burdens.

Her hand automatically moved to her left arm as she thought of this. Unlike him, she was robed in _shihakushou_ from head to foot, her bright white _tabi_ and _obi _in stark contrast to the rich, Eighth District ebony fabric that made up the rest of her uniform. Around her arm was strapped the badge of the Eighth Division's adjutant, the Bird of Paradise Flower neatly etched above the Japanese character for eight - two slashing lines that parted wider at the base than at the top. The kanji for eight was considered by many to mean 'fortune' or 'plenty', and, since she had arrived in Eighth District, she had quickly learned that she had indeed been fortunate. Shunsui was lazy, unpredictable and frustrating, but Sora had believed him when he had promised her the freedom to mark out her own ground. With Tokutarou's backing, the Kyouraku had reluctantly accepted a Shiba as their first Division Vice Captain, and so it was with anticipation and eagerness she looked forward to her new role.

That was, if she could nail down her Captain long enough to make sure he wore his _haori_ when he was meant to.

Sora stifled a sigh, speeding up her pace as her companion disappeared around another bend. At least, she mused, he wasn't using shunpo. Confident as she was in her spirit power, Sora knew that her flash steps were far inferior to Shunsui's in every way. The last time they had tried a shunpo race, she had ended breathless and red-faced, whilst he had barely broken a sweat, so she had resolved to work much harder on her Hohou before accepting another, similar challenge.

"Shunsui, where are we going!" she exclaimed now, catching sight of him disappearing down a bank of earth that led to the borders of some local settlement. "Will you stop for a minute and answer me? This is turning into a wild goose chase, and we're going to be late for your family's meeting if we go too far!"

"This is about as far as we're going," Shunsui had slowed at the village boundary, waiting for her to catch up. "I'm sorry I didn't explain earlier, but Nii-sama doesn't really like me talking about it and if I did so today, of all days, he'd probably have stopped me going. We've been back three days and it's my first chance, but I wanted to go see Riri and the kids before we got dragged into Clan business."

He gestured towards the village.

"This is Kaoka-mura. It's not very big, but it's quite nice. Very pretty, this time of year."

"Riri?" Sora slowed to join him, her eyes widening as she absorbed the name. "Your...sister? She lives here?"

"She does," Shunsui agreed. "I wanted to bring you to meet her - I hope you don't mind?"

"No, of course not. I'm curious to," Sora shook her head hastily. "A little more warning would've been nice, but it's fine. I guess I understand why you didn't say anything in front of Tokutarou-nii, but..."

"You find it hard being around him, too, when Rae-hime's here, since neither of them know how you still feel about him," Shunsui said matter-of-factly, causing Sora to flush to the roots of her dark hair, swiping her hand at him in indignation. "Don't hit me, you know it's true and nobody here will hear us. It's fine, you know, I'm not going to make a big thing out of it. But, I thought meeting Riri might provide an adequate distraction. I promised I'd come check up on her when I was home from school, and I need to keep that promise. You do, too, since I expect you'll cross paths in the future and it makes best sense to get the introductions done quickly."

"All right. You win," Sora sighed, but nodded, resignedly falling into step with her companion as they stepped into the village proper. "Is that why you're not wearing your _haori_, then?"

"Bit conspicuous, wouldn't you say?" Shunsui's eyes twinkled. "That can wait till this afternoon. I promise to turn up to that in proper, formal attire, but for now, there's just no need for all the trappings of office. I'm not going to see her as Captain of the Eighth Division, and she probably wouldn't care much if I did. I'm going to see her as her brother, and we have still far too subtle a familial bond for me to mess her around too much."

"You really do care about her, don't you?" Sora murmured, and Shunsui nodded.

"I do," he agreed pensively. "That's why I'm here, and why it's important for you girls to meet. You're going to be my right hand woman, and I intend to trust you with pretty much everything I intend to do squadwise, no matter how rebellious or outlandish it might seem. We'll spend a lot of time together - apologies in advance - and it might be that sometimes I need you to come here when I can't, to make sure they're okay."

"I see," Sora pursed her lips, then nodded. "Fine, I get it. I understand. You could've told me all that before, but it's all right. I'm primed - let's go meet this Riri, huh?"

Shunsui sent her a grateful smile, leading her through the middle of the village towards the square before turning off down a well worn pathway. Several of the village's inhabitants gazed at them curiously as they went by, but none intervened, and at length they reached a small cottage, which looked as though it had recently been in the wars. Basic repairs had been done to parts of the outside, and Sora glanced at Shunsui, an unspoken question in her gaze.

"Onoe," Shunsui said briskly. "He came here and attacked Riri, but she managed to escape and got the kids to safety. They went to Chi's place - fortunately she and Takeshi were willing to take in a local courtesan and her waifs, even despite the gossip, so she was safe. Even Aizen didn't think attacking a military barrack family was a good way to go, so he didn't. Now, though, they're back home where they properly belong. Riri prefers her independence - she and Chi are close, but Riri has a lot of pride."

"She's not like you, then?" Sora asked acerbically. "She obviously got your share of the pride."

"Guess so," Shunsui agreed flippantly, reaching up a hand to knock on the door. "Well, here's hoping they're in."

"Courtesans usually work nights, don't they?" Sora pointed out, and Shunsui shrugged.

"She's not doing that any more," he said simply. "It's just not a safe way of earning money, and with Chi's help, she's got more into needlework and stuff. She's got quite good at it - good enough to trade sometimes at market when she needs coin, so there's a chance she's taken the kids and gone to the local town for that. It's not always easy to send her word that I'm coming, so at times we miss each other."

He knocked again.

"Looks like we're out of...oh! Hello, Inori," as the door swung back to reveal a small boy of six or seven, curiosity in his gaze.

"Shunsui-niisan!" he said, a grin breaking across his young features. "Did you come to play with us?"

"A little, if it's all right, and I brought a friend," Shunsui grasped Sora by the arm, pulling her forward. "Inori-kun, is Riri home? I don't suppose she's left you here by yourself, has she?"

"Of course I haven't. What kind of a fool do you think I am?" A fresh voice interrupted the conversation, preventing the young boy from answering, and Shunsui's expression became rueful as a young woman emerged from the house, fixing the visitor with a world-weary look. As Sora looked at her, she was struck to find familiar features in the girl's face - the dark eyes that so matched Shunsui's own, the thick waves of dark hair, and something else, something intangible but undeniably real in her bearing that made her realise all at once that there was no mistaking it. This stranger may have been born illegitimate, but she was enough like Shunsui to be called his kin.

"Hi, Riri," Shunsui was offering this woman a warm, if sheepish smile. "Are you busy or can you stand some visitors? I brought someone to meet you, and I hoped we might invade your hospitality for a little while."

"A visitor?" Riri's eyes flitted across to Sora, and the young shinigami felt herself being sized up in what was only the briefest of glances. "Who's this? A girlfriend?"

"No! God, no, nothing like that!" Sora blurted out, then pinkened, casting Shunsui an apologetic look. "I mean, Shunsui and I go way back, but we're not that kind of friends. We're more like...well, we're not family, but in a way we sort of are."

"Sora's my brother's cousin, on the Shiba side," Shunsui explained simply. "She's not a blood kinswoman of yours, Riri, nor of mine, but through Tokutarou-nii she's almost kin to us both. She's come to Eighth to work with me when I begin my task as a full time shinigami - she was eager to meet you and I hoped you wouldn't mind my introducing you."

"I see," Riri's stiff demeanour relaxed, and she leaned back against the wall of the house, gazing at Sora pensively. "I don't know much about the Shiba, but if she doesn't mind being inside a common family's hut, I don't mind inviting you both inside. Shizuka's just putting away some of my morning commissions for me - I've picked up quite a few requests since the winter, so I'm quite busy, but I can take a break."

She gestured towards the house, and Shunsui nodded in Sora's direction before following his sister inside. Sora hesitated for a moment, then followed suit, finding herself inside a small but clean structure, with everything put into its proper place. In the midst of the main chamber, a tiny girl was pushing the last of some thick green fabric down into a wide bamboo casket, and at the sound of footsteps she turned, offering the visitors a wide grin.

"Shunsui-nii! Shunsui-nii!"

"Hello, trouble," Shunsui ruffled the child's hair playfully, and the youngster giggled, grabbing and hanging on to his fingers eagerly. "Sora, this is Shizuka, and at the door you met Inori. They're Riri's foster children, the ones I told you about."

"Pleased to meet you." Sora got down on her knees, offering Shizuka a smile. "I'm Sora, and I'm a friend of Shunsui's."

"Hello," Shizuka offered her an identical beam, then, "Nii-chan and I will go get water."

With that she was gone, calling for her brother as she went, and Riri laughed, sinking down onto a worn cushion and indicating for her visitors to do the same.

"She's so keen to be hostess," she said resignedly. "I suppose you can never learn too young, and she's stupidly fond of Shunsui."

"Mm, he has that effect on girls," Sora said teasingly, and Shunsui snorted.

"If only I did," he said ruefully. "I like Shizu-chan, though. And I want to keep an eye on her, so she doesn't bring anyone into danger by accident."

"You really think her spirit power is that strong?" Sora frowned, and Shunsui nodded.

"Maybe you can't feel it so much, but I do. It's there, and as she grows, it will too," he said wearily. "When she hits puberty, bang - the cat will be out of the bag."

"We've talked about his, and Shizuka will be the one to decide," Riri said firmly, as though the conversation was one they had had many times before. "You've appeared in our lives out of nowhere, Shunsui, and whilst I won't say it's unwelcome company, Shizuka was my friend's daughter. She's not kin to you, but she's my responsibility. If it's what she wants to do, then that's one thing - but I won't let you take her from her home without proper discussion, understood?"

"I won't," Shunsui assured her. "I was taken from mine, and I wouldn't do it to Shizuka. Just keep it in mind, that's all. It's not going to go away. Right now it's probably not a problem, but it will be, as she grows up."

"We'll manage it then, then," Riri spoke as though that was the last word on the subject, and despite herself, Sora grinned.

"Shunsui said you were his little sister," she remarked, as Riri shot her a quizzical look, "but you sound much more like his older sister, talking like that."

"I've been out in the world a fair bit more, I imagine," despite herself, Riri returned the smile. "What about you, Sora-dono? Are you older or younger than my brother?"

"Younger, but only by a year," Sora responded. "I smiled because I've been in the same position - nagging and scolding him when he's needed it. Sometimes I've felt like his older sister, too - so I thought it funny that he had the same from his real sister."

"Oh dear God, you two aren't going to gang up on me, are you?" Shunsui pretended to bury his face in despair, and Riri chuckled.

"I don't know. Maybe," she agreed contemplatively. "I think Sora-dono and I might get along quite well, and if she's known you a long time, she can tell me far more about you than you'll bother to do yourself."

"Don't you trust me at all?" Shunsui sent her a mock-hurt look, and Riri reached across to thwap him lightly on the head.

"I already said your visits weren't unwelcome," she scolded. "Leave it at that, all right? You've done a lot of good by us since last year and I appreciate it - we all do. A lot of water's passed under several bridges, though, and it never hurts to be on your guard. Now if you want to be useful, go help the kids with the water, will you? They're taking a while and Shizuka tries hard but isn't always able to lift the jug."

"Yes, ma'am," Shunsui mock-saluted, but withdrew with a grin, and Sora found herself left alone with her new acquaintance.

"You've really known him a long time?" It was Riri who broke the silence, and Sora nodded. Riri bit her lip, then,

"He's been good to us, too good, really," she said slowly. "I want to welcome it, because I find myself becoming fond of him, but there's part of me holding back. I worry...when he tires of it, that he'll disappear. The kids will come to love him, and then..."

She shrugged her shoulders helplessly.

"Men are unreliable beasts," she admitted. "You're a woman, and so I hoped maybe you'd more easily understand."

Sora frowned.

"I don't think Shunsui will ever disappear," she said slowly. "He told me about what happened with his father, and how Matsuhara-sama died when you were small. I've known Shunsui since we  
>were teens and well, he's stupid and idiotic and he does some really inexplicable things. Still, though, when he talks about you and the children, he's genuinely affectionate. He cares about you and I don't think he intends on ever disappearing. One thing he is is loyal, even if you want to punch him out. He'll keep coming back, Riri-dono. I'm pretty much gonna guarantee it. He's not going to get fed up and go away. Shunsui isn't like that. I think he's found some family that isn't tied up in Clan histrionics and, well, he intends on keeping it."<p>

"You think so?" A faint flicker of hope stirred in Riri's dark eyes, and she smiled. "I hope you're right. I don't trust people very easily - given my former profession, especially not men. Still, I...want to trust Shunsui. I want to think that he'll always be there if I need him, and if Shizuka does, when she grows older. I just didn't want to trust and be, well..."

"Betrayed?"

"Yes."

"I don't think you need worry about that from Shunsui," Sora assured her, as the sound of tiny feet heralded the return of the family's juniors. Shizuka clutched two mugs of water in her tiny hands, while her brother brought two more and Shunsui brought up the rear, the jug held firmly in his grip.

"We managed without a flood today, Riri," he remarked, setting it down between them. "Well, kids? Aren't you going to be proper hosts? Sora's probably thirsty, after the wild dash I led her, and I could do with a drink too."

"One for Sora-dono an' one for Shunsui-nii," Shizuka obediently placed the mugs on the ground.

"I'll get the beakers for us," Inori said importantly. "Here, Riri-nee. This one is yours. Shizuka, sit down. I'll get them - you can't reach the right shelf yet."

Shizuka pouted, dropping down onto the floor nonetheless, and as she did so, Sora was struck by the young girl's appearance.

"These two aren't your children, Riri-dono?" she asked softly, and Riri shook her head.

"The children of a close friend who passed away from illness when Shizuka was tiny," she replied. "I've taken them on since then, because she'd have wanted it that way."

Sora frowned, her gaze shifting to Inori's features and then back to Shizuka.

"They don't look a lot like each other," she observed slowly. "Inori has quite different features, but Shizuka-chan looks...well, she could be your daughter, Riri-dono. She has the same colouring, and she looks a lot like you."

"You think so?" Riri eyed the young girl for a moment, then shrugged. "Well, features don't dictate everything, especially when they're this age. Like as not both have different fathers, though. My friend never disclosed any information about who fathered either of them, but in her line of work - well, sometimes it's an occupational hazard, if you're careless."

She was no more precise, but Sora understood the cryptic words, and said no more, taking a sip of her water instead.

"It tastes really fresh," she observed, setting the mug down, and Riri nodded.

"We have a natural spring running under the village, and the well isn't far," she explained. "We're very lucky, since some people have to go much further for water than we do."

She cast Shunsui a glance, then got slowly to her feet.

"I have something for you," she added, as he shot her a startled look. "I've had it a while - but it's in the other room. Wait there, all right? I'll go get it."

"All right," Shunsui looked nonplussed, but nodded, and Riri disappeared into the back.

"Here!" Inori returned at that moment with the two beakers, pressing one into his sister's hands and setting his own down on the ground. "Shunsui-nii, will you pour? I don't want to spill."

"For sure," Shunsui agreed, lifting the jug and carefully tipping some of the contents into first Inori's mug then Shizuka's. "There. That enough?"

"Yes, thank you," Shizuka nodded her head, mug already halfway to her lips, and Shunsui grinned, setting the vessel aside.

"She really does look like Riri, though," Sora murmured, more than half to herself, and Shunsui frowned, his gaze flitting towards the younger girl as if seeing her for the first time.

"I suppose..." he said slowly. "Maybe a little bit. It's hard to tell right now, but it's coincidence. She's not Riri's daughter."

"No, I guess not," Sora grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. Just my random observation. Ignore me."

"I've been trying to do that for years, and it doesn't work," Shunsui said drolly. "I'm sure there's a technique to it, but whatever it is, I haven't learned it yet."

"Here we are," Riri re-emerged at that juncture, her cheeks a little flushed and Sora was startled to see what seemed to be awkwardness in the other girl's dark eyes. "I wanted to give it to you when I saw you, so I guess that's now. You did graduate and stuff, didn't you? Now seems the right time, then."

"I beg your pardon?" Shunsui looked blank, and Riri thrust a roughly wrapped bundle in his direction. There was no hiding her embarrassment now, and Shunsui glanced at her for a moment before gently picking apart the wide ribbon that bound it, unfolding the wrappings carefully to reveal a folded piece of pink cloth.

"Riri-nee made it," Inori announced cheerfully, and there was no denying Riri's red cheeks now, as Shunsui's eyes became big with disbelief. He slipped fingers under the cloth, spreading it out before him and Sora let out a little gasp as she realised what it was. Stitched from pink fabric and hand-embroidered with a delicate pattern of distinctive blossoms was the unmistakeable shape of a _haori_, fashioned in a similar style to the Gotei ones, but lovingly crafted and neatly stitched together from a much more vibrant piece of cloth. Although the fabric had almost certainly come from one of the local markets, it had been well and evenly dyed, and Riri had taken extra care with lining it, the hems coated with gleaming white silk that, at first glance, made it appear as though it had been put together by a professional seamstress intent on creating something that was meant to last.

For a while, Shunsui stared at it, then at Riri, then back at the _haori_. Then, at length, he managed,

"For me?"

"Who else?" Riri was obviously uncomfortable. "I gave it to you, so obviously it's for you."

"You made this?"

"Is that so hard to believe?" Now Riri was fully on the defensive, and Shunsui shook his head hurriedly, clutching the precious garment to his chest.

"No, not at all," he said quickly. "I just...I didn't think you'd make something like this...for me. That's all."

"I know you have enough money to buy a hundred glossy_ haori_," Riri admitted, lowering her gaze. "I know that's how it is, but even so..."

"Thank you," Shunsui cut across her hesitation, grasping her hand and squeezing it tightly. "It means a lot to me that you'd do that, Riri. Really, it does. It feels like...a proper sister brother thing, and I like that. I like it a lot. Besides..."

He held up the _haori_, running his gaze approvingly over the patterning.

"I had no idea that you had become so accomplished at stitching and cloth-work," he remarked. "You embroidered it as well?"

"Of course I did," Riri snorted, trying to cover her embarrassment with a look of derision. "Do you think they sell quite such a flamboyant pattern of fabric in the local places hereabouts? Don't be daft. I got the pattern from one of the papers Chi gave me, and adapted it to fit the threads and colours I had available. I might be a bastard child, but I know that pink is a Kyouraku colour, and it seemed more your colour than cobalt grey. It's not going to fall apart the moment you touch it - I wanted it to be durable, since you shinigami folk get into all kinds of rough and reckless scenarios. It should wash, by the way - not that you'd know how to do that, most probably, but I'm sure it'll give your maidservants a sigh of relief to know it's a fabric that doesn't stain easy. Not even the white - I made Shizuka a dress out of the same stuff, and even managed to pound berry juice out of it with a couple of hours at the stream."

"Riri..." Shunsui paused, and Riri reddened, lowering her gaze once more.

"You said you were my brother," she murmured haltingly. "I didn't have one of those, before, but you've looked after us and I wanted to repay that. I think...it might be all right, having a brother - even a Clan one. So even if you don't do anything with it, or throw it to the back of your closet, I wanted you to have it anyway. It's all I can offer you, so, well, I thought I might as well...try."

"I'm not going to throw it anywhere," Shunsui looked dismayed at the bare idea, running his index finger over the soft white edging. "This is a lot more 'me' than what the Gotei want me to wear, and I intend to treasure it. I didn't have a sister, before, either, and now I know I really do. This is the proof, which makes it far more valuable to me than anything the Clan buy. If you made it for me, that makes it unique and special. It also makes it priceless and one of a kind - so I'll take extra special care of it."

"You intend to wear it?" Riri looked doubtful, and Shunsui chuckled, sliding his right arm into one sleeve and then repeating the motion with his left.

"I _am_ wearing it," he corrected, "and I intend to wear it much from now on. Maybe even this afternoon..." he cast Sora a glance, "since a Captain needs a _haori_."

"You wear the white one this afternoon else someone will skin you," Sora murmured, and Shunsui grinned.

"I intend to," he said innocently, but Sora felt a feeling of apprehension well up inside of her at his words. "I wouldn't think of not wearing it. Don't worry, Sora-chan. It'll be fine. Thank you for the beautiful gift, Riri...I don't really know how to repay you, but..."

"You don't have to. If anything, it's repayment for looking out for us, even though the Clan doesn't approve," Riri said with a sigh. "I believe...I want to believe...you'll always come, no matter what."

"I will," Shunsui became serious, running his fingers over the smooth pink fabric. "I'll come as often as you need me, I promise. My accepting this only seals that fact, all right? So long as I have this, I'm not going to abandon you or forget you, am I? We're family, anyway. Now I know you're here, I'll still come here, even when I'm properly Captain and have other work to do."

He met Sora's gaze, and slowly, Sora nodded her head.

"Eighth Division's there to protect Eighth District," she agreed frankly. "So we'll do that. We'll look out for Eighth District. And especially the people here."

"That seems like a good place to begin," Shunsui reflected, lifting his mug of water. "Well, to the future. To Eighth Division and to the long and meaningful relationship between siblings, no matter what!"

* * *

><p>Midnight, and the owls were out hunting in District Seven.<p>

Juushirou stifled a yawn, pulling his black cloak more firmly around his body as a wild wind whipped across the balcony, teasing his hair loose from its ties and causing it to fall unfettered over his shoulders. It had been a long hard day, most of it spent travelling across a motley landscape which had not yet fully overcome the scars of its recent past. Juushirou had noticed the number of new settlements that had sprung up at points along the trail the carriage had travelled, some pitched near flowing water, others growing week on week around the sites of the Sekkiseki mines that Misashi had worked so hard to re-open. In more remote areas, though, stumps of wood barely covered by moss and seeding grass told another story, and Juushirou's eyes had become grave as he imagined Shikiki and her family once living in a place like this, before misplaced power saw it razed to the ground.

Well, the changes had already begun. If he hadn't already been decided, the journey would have convinced him that despite all Misashi's efforts, Seventh was still a District in need of support. The black and white shinigami uniform had brought both fear and wary suspicion the few times the carriage had stopped for them to eat, and the previous night, he had half thought they would be refused board on account of the weapons that hung about their waists.  
><em><br>We've come here to help, but people still remember what Shikiki first believed when I met her. The shinigami here committed atrocities. Maybe some of the shinigami I'll work with, in fact, on the orders of Seimaru and Shouichi-sama. I have no idea how many of my new division recruits were simply following orders, or how many were devotees of Endou bigotism, and will resist me with everything they've got. _

He shivered, knowing it had nothing to do with the cool night air and everything to do with his apprehension of meeting the members of his new squad on the morrow.

I know that it won't be easy. Even with Hirata on my side - that may in fact make it harder, since I mustn't allow myself to alienate him from his family. They can turn on him just as sure as they can on me, and that would be a far bigger disaster for District Seven than if I stuck my neck out and got myself silenced. There's so much to think of, starting with what kind of impression I intend to make on the Endou Clansfolk. I ought to sleep...but the more I think about it, the more awake I am.

"Ukitake-kun?"

A soft voice from the door of the balcony made him turn, a wry smile touching his lips as he made out Naoko's slender form, auburn hair for once tied only into a loose tail over her shoulder. She was still dressed in the black and white _shihakushou_, her night robe over her shoulders for added warmth, and at his expression, she returned his smile, picking her way across the stone slabs to join him.

"You can't sleep either?" she asked softly, and Juushirou shrugged his shoulders.

"Too much to think on," he admitted. "Tomorrow we begin and I'll be fine then. It's the anticipation of what's to come - that's always worse than dealing with it."

"True," Naoko turned her gaze across the night landscape, pressing her lips together as she considered his words. From her reaction, Juushirou felt certain she wasn't deceived by his bravado, but she did not comment on it, merely resting her hands on the stone rail that parted them from the sheer drop below.

"I have never been to District Seven before," she said matter-of-factly. "I wasn't sure what we should expect, when we arrived here. Tonight, of course, we are the honoured guests of Misashi-sama and his lady wife, and Hirata is a Clan son and heir returning home in triumph following his graduation. There are undertones and tensions, but here is like a bubble, where if you were foolish, you might believe you were safe. Still, from tomorrow, this won't be our world, will it? From tomorrow, Thirteenth Division will be a reality, and we will have an awful lot to do."

"I took some time out this afternoon to visit our proposed base here, after we arrived," Juushirou admitted. "Hirata knows it, says it's an estate that was once part of his uncle's holding, but Seimaru left it to ruin after Mibune-sama died because he preferred to be at the heart of court. A lot of it is derelict, and I understood from Misashi-sama that that was partly because of Mibune-sama's general lifestyle, but one area of it has been reinforced and set out for our use. There's room for us to sleep, eat, train and operate without stepping on each other's toes, and the land around it will be fine for drills and things of that nature."

"You went to see it?" Naoko looked surprised, and Juushirou shrugged.

"A Captain should be prepared for whatever comes," he said frankly. "Seimaru and Shouichi-sama operated their squad from here, the main estate, and there were barracks here accordingly, but Thirteenth Division doesn't belong to the Endou and it's duration here is temporary. Even so, though, I'm sure a lot of our future recruits will know the land better than we do. If the estate has traps or trick doors or anything that could be used to cause mayhem, I want to know about it before they think to use it. I'll go there again first thing, before Misashi-sama issues his formal summons to arms. I hope you and Enishi will come with me - Hirata will be tied up, but three sets of eyes are better than one."

"With pleasure," Naoko nodded. "I would've come today, if you'd mentioned you were going."

"I know, but this was a Captain's visit," Juushirou responded gravely. "I value having you here, but I can't be seen to always need company, guidance or protection. If I go on my own, it means I have the confidence to do so and am not afraid. I can't be seen to be afraid, not here. District Seven is that kind of place - even though I've only been here fleetingly in the past, I remember that only too well."

"Mm." Naoko's green eyes clouded, and she nodded her head. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to overstep my rank."

"At times like this, there is no rank," Juushirou assured her. "You, Hirata and Enishi are friends, allies, people I trust and I don't want that to change. From tomorrow, though, when I put on the _haori_, that's different. In front of the Endou..."

"You don't need to spell it out for me," Naoko interrupted him with an impatient shake of her head. "Perhaps you do for Houjou-kun, but I'm well aware of proprietry when dealing with tricky Clan politics."

Juushirou let out an amused chuckle, despite himself.

"Enishi will be an experience for the Endou, since he's physically incapable of spite," he ruminated. "I'm rather hoping on it winning them over, because I'm certain they'll be far too confused to go after him once they realise he doesn't operate on that level. Right now, you know, he's fast asleep. Snoring his head off, in fact, and no doubt dreaming peacefully of something completely unrelated to what's in store tomorrow. I wish I could react to things like that - but at least one of us will be calm from the off."

"I suppose there is that," Naoko conceded. "Truthfully, I think in a Clan squad, Houjou-kun would've been lost. But in your squad, Ukitake-kun...I think it will work."

"I'm rather putting all our lives on that fact," Juushirou owned. "Not just on Enishi, but on all of us being capable of pulling this off."

"We will," Naoko's tones became resolute, and Juushirou shot her a sidelong glance, seeing the determination in his companion's profile. "I promised myself when we left the Academy that I'd do everything in my power to make sure that it did. Most of all, though, I'm going to make sure you don't get killed. I know you promised Mitsuki you'd still be alive and waiting for her when she came back from Rukongai, because she told Sora and I so when we were helping her pack up to go. You might not be as susceptible to _haibyou _complications now as you were, but you're still capable of running into dangerous situations. That means I've probably got my work cut out for me, but I intend on making sure you keep your promise. Mitsuki will want you to be there to come back to, and I'd like it, when she returns, if Thirteenth Division was standing proud and strong alongside the rest of the Gotei, its reputation proven by its successes in Seventh."

"Naoko..." Juushirou looked discomfited, then he smiled, shrugging his shoulders. "All right. I won't argue. I mean to keep that promise, too, so if you want to help, be my guest. I'm going to be difficult to kill, though. Ojiisama promised that he'd help train me, and although he's only worked with me a little so far, I've picked up a few survival tips from him already. It might not be possible to spend much time with him whilst we're here in Seventh, but he's promised to help me learn how to wake Sougyo no Kotowari's Bankai, and I intend on getting to that point. He said it could take years - decades, even centuries," as Naoko's eyes widened with surprise, "but I'm going to get there. Sensei and Ojiisama both told me Sougyo no Kotowari is a sword that could sustain Bankai - and that being the case, I can't possibly be killed before I find out what it is, you see?"

"It would be a fool Endou, then, who'd try to take you down without understanding your sword," Naoko said astutely. "I don't suppose Dokusou Houshi will ever reach those dizzy heights of power, and, given my sword's nature, I'm in no hurry to look for them. It's a good trait for a Captain to aim for, though, I can see that."

"Naoko, about Dokusou Houshi..."

"I know," Naoko cut across him, preventing him from asking the question. "I'll be all right, Ukitake-kun. Right now, yes, it feels odd. I don't like how my sword is very much, and I'm anxious about what will happen next time I use it. That doesn't mean I'll freeze up, though, or let you down when you need me. It might take a little time to accept that I have the kind of weapon I do, and that's because of who I am - but I will. I'm not the kind of weak willed _hime _who lets things like that take apart her whole life."

"No, I believe that," Juushirou chuckled. "Talking to you reassures me about this job of ours, you know. I don't think the Endou will know what hit them, but I think Enishi was right when he said having you with us would be an asset and a strength. I really think it will, Naoko. Dokusou Houshi might have some less pleasant attributes, but it also has a lot of positive ones, and we'll find a way to work to those strengths, I'm sure we will."

"I guess we'll see." A ghost of a smile formed around Naoko's lips. "I have pride, Ukitake-kun, and I have a lot of it to recover. I intend to do that here. Perhaps it's shallow, but as little as I like Dokusou Houshi and my spirit power at present, I consider the Endou still beneath me. I know what the men we're going to command were involved in when they were part of Seventh, some of them. I killed, but it wasn't my will to do so. They killed on order, perhaps for fun - and I think knowing that will help me when I have to face them. They are insignificant and disgusting masses of spirit energy, and I intend on making sure they know it - that and that they're fortunate to have a chance to operate as a shinigami at all, given their absolute ineptitude."

"Maybe I'll send you in before I speak to them tomorrow, then try and pick up the wilted pieces when you're done," Juushirou was amused, and Naoko laughed.

"I haven't any intention of stealing my Captain's thunder," she assured him warmly, "but Dokusou Houshi's sadistic streak is also a part of me, and I suppose...perhaps here...I'll have a chance to see whether or not I can make use of it, now I'm no longer in a place anyone can call me '_hime_'."

She turned back towards the balcony door.

"Don't stay up all night, Taichou. Tomorrow will come soon enough, and we'll all need alert minds when we meet the unfortunates Misashi-sama's pulled together for us to tame."

With that she was gone, the door sliding softly shut behind her, and Juushirou pressed his lips together, considering her last words carefully.

In those moments, he had seen a new side to Naoko - not the prim, proper, sharp-tongued Clanswoman whose pride and honour had always been uppermost, but a different girl, relaxed and unfettered for the first time from the invisible shackles of her upbringing. Here in District Seven, he realised with a jolt, Naoko didn't have to pretend to care about the sick or the injured, nor did she have to suppress her own battle instincts in order to keep the peace among her fellows. Though she had talked about it as a sadistic streak, Juushirou knew that it was something else.

Naoko's true shinigami instinct, to fight, to protect, and to serve.

_This was the right place to bring her, In'you._

Gently Juushirou brushed his fingers against the hilt of his sword, feeling the drowsy spirits of his twin fish brushing against his thoughts, sleepily acknowledging his presence, but making no attempt to come forth and speak.

_Time will tell, of course, if it was the right place for me to come. Still, Naoko's forthrightness has hardened my resolve. Tomorrow, I'll take what comes my way. If they hate me, so be it. I'm the one who always says if you don't like something, find a way to change it. I told Keitarou I'd do it the legitimate way, from the inside, and this is my first opportunity to make a real difference. I'll be the Captain the Council want me to be, and I'll pull something worthwhile from these Endou, no matter how hopeless it might seem. I have a job to do - we all do._

He ran his fingers over the soft fabric of his grandfather's cloak for a moment, then,

_Thirteenth Division will be a proper part of the Gotei, one day. It will stand alongside them all as an equal, I swear it. No matter how hard District Seven proves to be, this is just the beginning. Initiation. If we overcome this, we'll have proven that we have a right and a reason to be and I'll fight and die for that right so long as I wear the haori. Hahaue, Otousama, please, watch over me and everything that I do. This is the life you gave me, and I'm using it. I'm using it to help put Seireitei on the right path, and right now, there's nothing more important to me than achieving that._

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: PLEASE READ BEFORE CONTINUING!<strong>

_Well, graduation complete. There is __**one**__ more chapter to come in this omake, but it is a far flung epilogue set in canon timeline._

_**I am giving prior warning now, if you do not want to discover the fates of Team Stupid's non-canon members, do not go past this point! The next chapter contains some details which may upset some readers, and I'm not taking responsibility for anyone getting upset or cross! You have been warned, so read at your own risk!**_

If you'd rather not find out what happened to the characters of Meifu after graduation, then this is the end of the story. Thank you for being with me on this fun ride.

There will be no other story with the title Meifu's Gate. I haven't ruled out whether I will write about these characters again, or any Bleach ones - I'm leaving it open - but Meifu's Gate as a title was chosen because it means "the Gate to the World of the Dead" and to me that seemed to fit the Academy better than anything else, since Juu and Shun were training to be Shinigami.

For that reason, any further fiction will require new titleage. Please note that this isn't a promise that there will be more fiction, nor a guarantee that there won't. It only means that there will be no more under the name Meifu's Gate.

I hope you have enjoyed your time with Team Stupid and I'm touched at how fond people have become of them, even the ones who aren't canon. They could not have made it to this point without you, and that's a fact, because it's only the support of Meifu's readers that have got them to the point of graduating ;)

Once more, and with sincerity, Arigatou Gozaimasu!


	9. Final Epilogue: Sakamichi no Kioku

**~Epilogue~  
><strong>_**~Around 2000 years later, Seireitei**_

**~Sakamichi No Kioku~**

The cherry blossom drifted slowly from the branches, lining the pathway like a pink carpet as Juushirou made his way slowly between the rows of tall, flourishing trees that stood proudly on his either side.

It was spring again, the fresh scent of new life and the thaw of the frosts giving energy to the tired, bleakness of winter, and for a moment he paused, simply drawing the sweet air into his battered lungs as he savoured this new day.

He was still here. Here for another spring - to see another blooming and to watch over the Gotei after the chill of the new year snows.

It was never something that he took for granted.

As he passed the grounds of the Academy, he saw two young boys, robed in the white and blue uniform of the Shinigami training school and a look of nostalgia glittered in his hazel eyes as he watched them sparring with wooden _bokutou_, eager and excited by the promise of learning new skills. As they saw him watching them, they hurriedly stood to attention, bowing towards him, and he smiled, raising his hand to acknowledge their respect.

It had been a long time since he had been one of them, with the future unknown and unwritten and the pathway he would choose still far from clear. He had not known then that he would become a Captain, nor that now, almost two thousand years on, he would still be standing here, just as he had done that first Spring when he had stepped out into Seireitei wearing the white _haori_for the first time.

Thirteenth Division had never had any other Captain than him.

But it had had many Vice Captains.

Juushirou pursed his lips, as an image of his first ever Vice Captain flashed into his head. Tall, dependable, strong Enishi - loyal to the last and a friend on whom Juushirou had depended for several years. None had been happier than Juushirou when his subordinate had been promoted to the rank of Captain of the Eleventh Division...and even now, despite all that had gone since, Juushirou was proud of what Enishi had achieved.

He ran his fingers idly along the bark of the trees, remembering.

It had been a violent time, with warring factions and rebellions from the District lands against the stranglehold of the Clans. It had been a dangerous time, when the dissidents, led from the shadows, had managed to pull down the class walls that blocked off their world from Seireitei and had changed the world of Soul Society forever. For more than two centuries, Soul Society had come of age, entering its adolescence painfully and with heavy bloodshed as it fought to overcome the legacy left by dangerous fanatics. Kin had turned on kin, many heroes and villains alike had risen and fallen, until the foundations of the modern Sereitei system had emerged from its war-battered cocoon.

During the latter stages of this time, Enishi had been at the forefront of the action, his powerful sword held high over his head as he had commanded his officers to secure the area as rebels had swarmed into the impoverished Rukongai, looting and threatening the inhabitants into joining their band. It was this Enishi that Juushirou remembered most fondly, with resolve in his dark eyes, not hesitating to protect or defend the values or the people he had sworn to lead.

It had taken time, but the Gotei had succeeded in putting down the rebellion. New documents had been discussed, drawn up and implemented, and the landscape had been carved up into a very different future than the traditional one held by the Clans for centuries past. Some families had faded, others had held onto their pride, and little by little the Gotei had survived. And Enishi, who had struck with determination and resolution against those who had made themselves his enemies, had been lauded and acclaimed as the strongest fighter to ever lead in Soul Society.

A faint, slightly wistful smile touched Juushirou's lips as he remembered this.

The stories had been much exaggerated, he had known this even then. Enishi had said as much himself, in a quiet moment within Thirteenth Division when they had been drinking tea and discussing the changes in Seireitei's pecking order. Yet even so, the rumours had persisted about the fearsome man who led the eleventh - the man who had reportedly cut down eight dissidents with one strike of his _zanpakutou_, purging evil and corruption from within the Gotei with that sole swing of his tremendous blade. The truth had become hazed by rumour as story had passed from mouth to mouth, but there was no denying the genuine contribution Enishi had made eradicating danger within the Gotei. As the _haori_ of Eleventh had first been placed over his shoulders, Juushirou remembered that, among the men of the lower ranks, his old friend had already become known as 'Kenpachi Enishi'.

Juushirou closed his eyes, willing the memory away. It would soon be followed, he knew, by another - a less pleasant one. There was no suppressing the image of the bloodsoaked _haori_ that had fluttered helplessly against the cobbled ground...and his friend's body, cut and broken beneath the summer sun. Those revered as heroes also became targets...and targets could become victims - an aim for those bloodthirsty enough to pitch themselves and their skill against the power of the legendary Kenpachi. Enishi had been forced to fight unwanted battles many times and, in the end, had died stupidly, his contributions and his talent wasted in another man's blood-lust. Juushirou had known that his friend was neither violent nor a ruthless killer and that he had acted as he always had, in duty to the Gotei and nothing else. From the moment of his death, however, it had been written as firmly as though scribed in blood. Eleventh Division was and would always now be the division of Captain killers. It remained the Division of the Kenpachi - a man who had gone from being the hero of the Gotei to a man who killed for fun then laughed the most about those kills.

Enishi would not have approved, but Enishi had long gone, and time had moved on.

Juushirou sighed, shaking his head as if to clear his thoughts. Even on a day like this, he would not let blood saturate his thoughts, and so he pressed on, past the Academy and up the hill near to the lake that glistened in the morning sun.

They had camped here once, he remembered fondly. As students, they had used this place as a watering hole and a bathing lake, though now it was simply another unnoticed feature in an undefined landscape. There was no longer any such thing as 'District One', after all. The Districts had been swallowed up by Inner Seireitei and Rukongai, and everything was different now. Yet Juushirou still remembered how they had spent time here when they had all been far more innocent.

They had played pranks on each other, too, he reflected. Stolen each other's clothing and pulled the wool over each others' eyes. He still remembered with startling clarity the day that Endou Hirata had fooled Shihouin Kai into believing a snake haunted the waters - and the bevy of events that had followed.

Both were gone now.

Juushirou brought his hands together gently as if in a prayer for the departed souls of his two good friends. They too had made their mark on Seireitei - an indelible mark that even history could not erase.

Hirata had returned honour to the Endou-ke, and had in time taken the _haori_of the Seventh District, leading the squad with an iron hand until his death from failing health some seven hundred years earlier. He had been the last Endou lord, leaving only daughters to divide the tainted legacy of the warrior Clan between them, and secretly Juushirou had been glad. In fact, he remembered sadly, as he and Hirata had spoken in the weeks before the other's death, his friend had said the same. If his Clan ended with him, with honour and with peace, then that was all he wished for. He had not been in pain, and so Juushirou had let him go - a gentle passing in his sleep that was the quietest way any Shinigami ever left Seireitei. Juushirou knew that, for Hirata, this had been his greatest victory. Unlike his kinsfolk, he had not died in violent battle, on the end of a greedy man's sword, but unchallenged and much-mourned, a leader that, at last, the Endou could remember with pride.

They still existed now, Juushirou knew it - tendrils and strands of Endou-ke but without the name or the power that had once been the ruin of so many. Although it was not his duty, Juushirou was still aware of them. It had been his last promise to Hirata, and he kept it still. Though he rarely spoke of it, he knew that if any of them ever reached out to him, he would not turn them away.

As for Kai, his demise had been in action - in battle, for the secret forces, sacrificing his life for the sake of a comrade.

It had not been a vain decision - it had marked a true thaw of a long and cold rivalry that, in places, still ran cold from time to time. In death, though, Kai had achieved something remarkable. He would not have been ashamed of it, Juushirou reflected. To die in action, to fight to the last...to save a comrade - no, a _friend_- and bring honour on his Clan was the ultimate way in which a Shihouin could prove their honour, far from the assassin ancestry from which he had so wanted to move away. The entirety of his force had been wiped out that day, but those surviving from Sixth Squad had brought the story back to Inner Seireitei and, amongst the mourning had been the pride of the Shihouin, restoring them once and for all to their former glory as one of the greatest Clans in Soul Society.

They remained there to this day. Though Shunsui had often said nobody achieved anything by dying, Kai had proven his friend wrong.

Juushirou pursed his lips at this. He only wished that Kai himself had been here to see it.

But, as with Enishi, as with Hirata - there was no knowing what the dead did or did not know.

And so he moved on.

He had said many goodbyes over the years.

Many subordinates, many younger than him he had seen buried from disease, violent death in action or simply the fading of their life forces whilst his still, somehow, burnt strongly. It gave life a bittersweet edge - a regret that they had not seen a new day coupled with the gratitude that he himself was still there and able to remember them. He had not become inured to death, but he had learnt to deal with it. So long as he still walked, he carried the hearts and souls of all those lost with him. For that reason he had continued to get up - even from his sickbed - to lead Thirteenth Division. And until his time came, he always would.

Unless he was called elsewhere.

He gazed up at the sky, remembering that death was not the only permanent way of saying goodbye in this world. It had been six hundred years now since Shiba Sora had been called up to Higher Orders - a promotion to the Royal Guard that had appeared suddenly and which had taken her almost immediately from her position as Captain of the Ninth Division to a place that none of them had ever seen. Nobody knew what kind of duties lay beyond Seireitei, but what was certain was that those promoted never came back. She was no longer one of them - alive, yet still unreachable. Still untouchable. Still gone.

Whilst she still lived, though, she too had memories. Juushirou was sure of this - in her heart too, Sora carried with as much honour and care the same warm recollections of her friends as he still treasured in his.

As he reached his destination, he found that someone else was already there, knelt low before the elegant marble with his head bowed low. He was robed in the simple attire of an Academy sensei, his _obi _in red, marking him out as a teacher of Kidou Arts and his thick dark hair, falling in a long tail halfway down his back, was tied simply with a knot of green ribbon. It was the only thing that marked Ryuu out as a member of any Clan, let alone the austere, proud Kuchiki, but as Juushirou knelt beside him, he understood his friend's heart without voicing any words.

Ryuu's _shihakushou_ bore long sleeves, and beneath those sleeves Juushirou knew were the deep, scarring welts of burns that had cut cruelly into his flesh, marking him for life. He walked now with a slight limp, his vision in one eye poor and his hair flecked faintly with silver that glinted in the morning light. Since that day, Ryuu had not fought in the colours of the Gotei, and had instead returned himself to his study, devoting himself to educating the Shinigami of the future and passing on his vast knowledge to them to take his place. Two centuries earlier he had retired from active teaching, turning instead to research and study and progressing and promoting the Gotei's knowledge and ability from the depths of his substantial archives. Because of Ryuu, Seireitei's arsenal of spells and skills had grown and expanded, and the Kidou Corps, once an institution that had seemed impossible now flourished, guided by expert hands.

Juushirou glanced at him for a moment, taking in his lean, focused form.

Kai had died for a good reason. He had died so Ryuu would live - and Ryuu had taken that life by the scruff of the neck and had transformed it into something worthwhile. Although Ryuu had walked away from the austerity of Clan and the pride he had once done everything to uphold, Juushirou knew his friend was content. In this life, he had found his calling, and that was as much as any of them could do.

Yes, Kai had truly sacrificed himself to save someone worthy of being saved.

Juushirou's heart clenched slightly at this juncture, and he turned his gaze back to the marble plinth, his fingers touching his chest absently as he felt the faint, familiar flare of raw reiatsu surge up inside of him.

He had been too late to do anything different. He had fought and he had won, despite taking serious injury. But he had fought for pride, not for any other reason. He had not fought for life - for his life, or for the life of his fallen comrade. He had been too late for that.

In that one instant he had considered throwing it away - letting the monsters take him and engulf him in darkness as the path before him had become bleak and muddied in his mind.

And yet, he knew that that moment was part of the reason he was still alive today. Almost three centuries had passed, but the memories were as vivid to him as though they had been yesterday - he knew that so long as he lived, he would never forget the Kuchiki healer with the soft grey eyes that, on occasion, had thundered storms more vibrant and powerful than Sougyo no Kotowari could hope to call forth.

He reached out his fingers, brushing them against the five kanji characters that spelt out the name, "Edogawa Mitsuki", and tears glittered in his hazel eyes, falling soundlessly down his cheeks as he truly grieved for the one woman he had ever - and would ever - love.

For a while he sat there, allowing his feelings and his grief to run raw inside of him. Then, with a final bow towards the monument, he got to his feet, dusting the stray petals from his _shihakushou_ as he turned back towards the Thirteenth Division barracks.

For that one moment, once each year, he came here - once each year so as she knew he had not forgotten. But he held her in his heart, and he could not allow himself more time than that - not even to grieve for one so dear.

He had a squad to lead. Recruits to induct. Men to train. He had a duty to do. And he would do it. Because he was Captain of Thirteenth Division, and until the last day, that was what he would be to the best of his ability.

Till that day when, the fates willing, his spirit might mingle with those he had lost on the Seireitei wind.

"The sun shone again."

As he reached the edge of his Division's barracks, a voice greeted him and a warm hand dropped down on his shoulder, a reassuringly familiar reiatsu prickling against his own. It was the same every year. Though they never spoke of it beforehand, and never afterwards, Juushirou knew that Shunsui would always remember. It was that one, strong reminder that despite the losses he was not alone - and that so long as he was not alone, he could walk forward and face anything with strength and purpose.

"She'd have liked that, I think." Shunsui continued now. "A bright sky. Pretty flowers. And you to cry all over her as ever."

Juushirou reached up to wipe away the remains of his tears, casting his friend a rueful look. Despite Shunsui's flippance, there was warm sympathy in the dark brown eyes, and slowly he nodded his head.

"Even if it rained, I'd still go." he said matter of factly. "She'd not forgive me, if I didn't."

"And she'd not forgive you if you were late for the Captain's meeting." Shunsui patted Juushirou on the back. "Come on. I'll walk with you - since it's a nice day, I can't be bothered with skiving."

"Since you already made the effort to walk down here, I guess I won't refuse you." Juushirou nodded his head. "It's fine. I'm ready now. Let's go."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Note: The Final Word<strong>_

_Kenpachi uses the Kanji for "sword" and the kanji for "eight". There is a tradition that the number eight is supposed to be lucky, so probably the nickname means 'lucky sword' as much as anything else._

_I hope nobody is too mad at me for ending it - and their stories - in this way! I wanted each of them to have a clear path and purpose, but as none of them are in modern canon, none of them can be in the existing Gotei come the Winter War. That doesn't mean they all are dead, but of course, those who live are outside of the public eye._

_I'm not really sure what happened to Naoko. When I wrote this originally, my intention was for Naoko to die in Fourth Maki (there it is, honest confession time) but Mitsuki and Sora had other ideas and so I developed a different future plan for her which I think overall was a more satisfactory one. She remained in Thirteenth Division, for sure, probably becoming Juushirou's Vice Captain after Enishi was promoted to Captain of the Eleventh Division. After that, I'm not really sure. Maybe she transferred to the Onmitsukidou on some special order or agreement with the Shihouin - perhaps that became an element of her duty after Kai's death, or maybe she even - as some readers have liked to poke at - wound up marrying Kai and then took over his duties when he died. Perhaps she is still alive somewhere in the secret shadows of Seireitei where nobody ever sees her, working undercover for Genryuusai and using that demonish sword of hers to uphold Gotei justice - who really knows?_

_As for Mitsuki, when she died, she was the Vice Captain of the Fourth Division. What nature of relationship she and Juushirou had is undefined, and for large periods of time Mitsuki was stationed outside of Soul Society. I believe their affection for one another never diminished, though, right to the point of her death approximately three hundred years before Canon. Juushirou has been told many times by people about fights for pride and fights for life, but the understanding he conveyed to Rukia was driven from his own understanding of fighting the same battle Kaien fought. Juushirou kept his life, of course, whilst Kaien perished - but Juushirou's values were formed from that point._

_When I began writing Meifu, I gave Mitsuki the name "beautiful moon" and this has significant meaning even now. Mitsuki did not have a name associated with colour, but the 'tsuki' in her name was derived from Rukia's 'Tsukishiro'. The simple reason for this is that I believe Mitsuki to be Rukia's ancestor. You can make what you like of that, but my preferred theory is that Rukia and Hisana are descendants of Mitsuki and Juushirou, and this is the reason for Hisana's ill health and death. Siblings are not sent to Rukongai together, according to Kubo, yet Rukia and Hisana were both there together. Rukia looks like a Kuchiki, and so did Hisana - Byakuya has a strong resemblance to Rukia as a child. I've always thought them to be true but distant and broken-blooded Kuchiki, and because of Hisana's illness and Juushirou's responsibility to Rukia, that they connect to him somehow too. It shouldn't be forgotten that Rukia has some aptitude for healing kidou - more than Renji, for example, though unlike Kira, she never served with Fourth Squad. Is this an inherited talent from a distant ancestor?_

_I am not going to speculate on how this might of occurred, but although this is my preferred line of thought, I'm not sure it has a very happy story surrounding it. For that reason, I'm leaving the matter alone. If I ever write the story about Rose and Aizen at the Academy (which I began but is only a handful of chapters long), maybe that will come more to light - right now it looks doubtful, so for the time being, I'm leaving this one to lie._

_You can disagree with me and my theories if you wish, it's just a personal judgement and, in main, the reason for Mitsuki to have ever existed at all._


End file.
